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ADVENTURES 



IN 



MEXICO; 



EXPERIENCED DURING A CAPTIVITY OF 
SEVEN MONTHS. 

BY c/dONNAVAN. 



u r 






TWELFTH EDITION. 



WITH AN APPENDIX. 



Ki 



^ BOSTON: ^t- 
PUBLISHED BY GEORGE R. HOLBROOK & CO. 

1848. 



.Ml 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1847, 

BY C. DONNAVAN, 

In the Clerk'3 Office for the District Court of Ohio, 



Press of G. C. RAND & CO., No. 3, ComhiU. 



TABLE OF COJNTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Departure jjpr Mexico. Arrival at Brazos. Description of Country. Naviga- 
tion of the Rio Grande. Trip up the River. Reynosa. Camargo. Mier 
and its Natural Advantages. Stock. Description of Country, Timber, and 
Productions. Guerrero. Scenery. Curiosity of the Natives. Hospitality 
of the Authorities. Springs. Dwelling Houses. Coal Mines. Silver Ore, 
&c. A Crooked River. Geological Specimens. Departure for Matamoras . 
—Page 13. 

CHAPTER II. 

Return to Matamoras. Creole Fever. Treatment. Recovery. Barry and 
Cunningham. Visit to Palo Alto. Burial of a Soldier. Impressions. Ar- 
rival of Volunteers. Speculations. Gambling. Gen. Taylor's Orders. His 
Personal Appearance. Anecdote of a Dutchman. Great Thirst for Glory. 
Travelling on the Rio Grande. Mexican Women. Anecdote of Lieutenant 
Deans. Costume of the Women. Rancheros. Their Appearance and 
Dress. — Page 18. 

CHAPTER III. 

A Hunting Excursion. Capture. Journey to Mier. Picking Pockets. Ap- 
pearance and Character of Canalles. The First Night of Captivity. Novel 
Interview with one of the Rancheros. Sentence of Death. Mexican Char- 
acter. Interference in our behalf. Sentence Reversed. Our Fate Revealed. 
—Page 25. 

CHAPTER IV. 

March for Ceralvo. Diet. Pinto Indians. Insults. New Jewelry. Sympa- 
thy Among the Dutch. Road to Carmillo. Scenery. Haciendaof San Mfl- 
tero. Ancient Ruins. Slavery in Mexico. Arrival at Carmillo. Beauty 
and Amusements. A Robber Pursuing an Indian. A Mountain Pass. Dealh- 
among the Mustangs. Desolation of a Rancho. Arrival at Monclova. Fail- 
ure to Sell Prisoners. Confinement in Prison. Appearance of the Pri'aem- 
and Inmates. A Mier Prisoner. Reflections, &c. — Page 28. 

CHAPTER V. 

Release from Prison at Monclova. Punishment of Criminals. Advance of 
Gen. Wool's Army. Our Departure for Zacatecas. Mexican Expresses. 
Parras. Novel Funeral Procession. Burial of a Muchacha. Lake of Farraa.. 

5 



6 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

Rio Grande de Parras. Diet. Mosquitos. Degradation of Females. Im- 
plements of Husbandry. An Indian City. Indian Fortifications. Indian 
Women. Captured by the Indians. Crossing a River. Attempt to Escape. 
Drowning of a Ranchero. Towns and Cities. Fresnillo. Catholic Proces- 
sion. Arrival at Zacatecas.— Page 39. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Zacatecas. Peace Party. American Citizens. Their Hospitality. Our Re- 
lease. Contemplated Return. A Mexican Editor. — Page 50. 

CHAPTER VII. *■ 

Mexican Opinion of Yankees. Buildings at Zacatecaa. Customs. Merchants* 
Shops. Business. Auction Sales. Petty Thieves and their Punishment. 
Gambling. Lotteries. Sunday Entertainments. Churches. Cathedral and 
its Ornaments. Praying for a Husband. Bull Fights. Death of a Picadore. 
Cock Fighting. Extent of Silver Mines. Gold Dust. Natural Cave. Geo- 
logical Specimens. Iron, Copper, and Coal Mines. Garden of Don Alonzo 
Gomeres. Huaco Plant, its Appearance and Discovery. Manufactures in 
the City. Politics. Jose Maria Latragua. Government. Cruelties of 
Santa Anna. Barbarous Execution of a Young Female. — Page 52. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Impending Difficulties. Santa Anna at San Luis Potosi. Priests Heading 
Guerilla Parties. Arrival of a Detachment from Santa Anna's Army. Re- 
captured by the Mexicans. Arrest of Citizens of Zacatecas. March to San 
Luis Potosi. Mexican Soldiers and their Manner of Enlisting. City and 
Prison of San Luis Potosi. Execution. Mode of Inflicting Capital Punish- 
ment. Invitation to join the Mexican Army. Our Indignant Refusal. De-r 
parture for Acapulco. Estate of Jorol. Dolores. City and Churches of. 
Guanajuato. — Page 64. 

CHAPTER IX. 

Arrival at Valladolid. Curiosity of the Citizens. A French Publisher. His 
History. Another Sentence of Death. Negotiation for our Release. "Bar- 
gain and Intrigue." Sold into Slavery. Mexican Character. Our Price. 
Dr. Barry. A Mexican Printing Office. Spanish Printers. El Republicaoo. 
Support and Character of M exican Newspapers. — Page 69. 

CHAPTER X. 

City of Valladolid. Climate and Productions. Volcano of Jorullo. New 
Theory of the Gulf Stream. Christmas. Buildings in the City. Customs 
of the Inhabitants. Matrimonial Intrigues. Music. Governor of Mechoa- 
can, and his Plan of Warfare. Ignorance of a Mexican Editor in regard to 
the United States. Corwin's Speech. News of the Battle of Buena Vista. 
Great Rejoicing. Sentiments of the Masses. — Page 74. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. t 

CHAPTER XL 

Easter and its Amusements, Visit to the Cathedral. Description of the Edi- 
fice. Our Employment. The Spanish Alphabet. Change in Discipline, 
Improvement in Diet. Masticating Monkeys. The Ladies. Their Hospi- 
tality and Accomplishments. Love and its Doings. — Page 79. 

CHAPTER XH. 

News of the Investment of Vera Cruz. Battle of Cerro Gordo. Character of 
Cunningham. Influence of Love. Unfavorable Change in Treatment- Es- 
cape from Valladolid. Passing the Gates. Departure for Queretaro. To- 
matoes. ARancho. Hospitality of the Women. Baking Tortillas. As- 
sumption of a New Character. Rio Grande de Santiago. Banyan Trees. 
Mountain Scenery. An American Physician, his Character and Kindness. 
Education of Lizards. City of Queretaro. A Mexican Diligence. Arrival 
at the City of Mexico. — Page S3. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

City of Mexico. Public Grounds. Public Buildings. The Mint. Coining 
Gold. Hotels Theatres. Newspaper Press of the City. Literature. So- 
ciety. Manners and Customs. Dress. Suburbs. Cemetery. Population. 
—Page 89. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Major Borland. Public Sentiment in the City. Departure for Puebla. Pass 
at Rio Frio. Temple of the Sun. City of Puebla. Manufactories. Public 
Buildings. Cathedral. Investment of the City. Gen. Worth. Disaffection 
among the Soldiers. Assassinations. Perote. Army under Gen. Scott 
Jalapa. Battle Ground of Cerro Gordo. National Road and Bridge. Col. 
Sowers. Vera Cruz. Castle of Sun Juan. Passage Across the Gulf. Island 
of Lobos. Arrival in the United States. Barry and Cunningham. — P. 97. 

CHAPTER XV. 

Mexico. Extent of Territory. Soil. Climate. Maguey Plant. Cochineal. 
Vanilla. Cotton and Sugar. Potatoes. Chili. Timber. Water. Tobacco. 
Commerce. Conquest. Revolution. Independence. Influence and Wealth 
of the Priesthood. Santa Anna. Gen. Almonte. Gomez Farias. Gen. 
Herrera. Senor Aleman. Education. The War. Manner of Conducting 
it. Destiny. — Page 104. 

Appendix, -------_-- 118 

Description of the Panorama, - - - - 128 



ADVERTISEMENT 

TO THE TWELFTH EDITION, 



The author cannot forego the pleasure it affords him in expressing 
his grateful acknowledgments to the public, for the partiality mani- 
fested towards his unpretending production. To say that his highest 
anticipations have been more than realized, would be but the tame 
repetition of a stereotyped phrase — they have been completely sub- 
merged in the current of popular favor. More than sixteen thou- 
sand copies of the work, in the English language, have been dis- 
posed of by his publishers, during the past year ; while its translation 
into the German has been attended with comparatively flattering re- 
gard. 

The work was first stereotyped and issued at Cincinnati, in Sep- 
tember, 1847, by Messrs. Robinson & Jones, who had the sole super- 
intendence of its sale. The contract with those publishers having 
expired, by limitation, at the close of the first year, the copy-right 
now reverts exclusively to the author ; and the repeated applications 
for it at his Exhibition Room, have induced the issue of the present 
revised edition, including an Appendix descriptive of the Panorama, 
which may, to some extent, be regarded as an illustration of his 
" Adventures." 

Boston, Oct. 15, 1848. 

8 



ADVENTURES 

IN MEXICO. 



CHAPTER I. 

Departure for Mexico — Arrival at Brazos — Description of Countrj/ — JS/avi- 
gation of the Rio Grande — Trip up the River — Reijnosa — Camnriro — Mier 
and its natural advantages — Stock — Description of Country, Timber, and 
Productions — Guerrero — Sceneri/ — Curiosity of the J^atives — Hospitality 
of the Authorities — Springs — Dwelling Houses — Coal Mines — Silver Ore 

• — A a-ooked River — Geological Specimens — Departure for Matamoras. 

The excited state of feeling which followed the first authentic 
intelligence announcing the existence of actual hostilities on the 
Rio Grande, was only equalled by the promptitude and alacrity 
which characterized the conduct of our people, in offering to the 
country their services, and hastening to the scene of action. At the 
period when the first requisition for troops was made (in the spring 
of 1846) the author was engaged as clerk on the steamboat Ontario 
— then in the Louisville and Nashville trade. The im:nediate de- 
mand for vessels of small or light draft, by the government, to trans- 
port troops and munitions of war, from the Brazos to Matamoras, 
induced the proprietors to transfer her to the seat of war ; and 
more as an indispensable appendage to the crew, than from any in- 
herent belligerent disposition, he consented to continue the super- 
vision of her finances, and accompany her to the enemy's domin- 
ions. Leaving New Orleans on the 2lst of May, 1846, the 
Ontario, with a portion of the Louisiana volunteers, was towed 
across the Gulf by the brig Everett, and landed among the first 
boats at the Brazos, on the 28lh of the same month. 

Succeeding our arrival, numerous incidents continued to occur, 
almost daily, many of which possessing some degree of interest and 
coming under my observation, have already appeared in the public 
prints, in the form of " Letters from an Occasional Correspondent." 

A recapitulation of so m.uch of those letters as relates to the Rio 
Grande and its resources, may hardly be deemed out of place here, 
inasmuch as it will impart to the reader a more definite idea of that 
2 13 



14 donnavan's adventuues 

country than he has been able to attain, unless having visited it in 
person. 

Ahiiough the reading public has been recently overtaxed with al- 
most every variety of statements, purporting to be authentic de- 
scriptions of that interesting region, and accurate accounts of its 
resources, yet few, if any, of the many adventurers, have suc- 
ceeded in arriving at conclusions at all satisfactory to those who 
are familiar with the country, as it exists under ordinary circum- 
stances. The great variety of opinion entertained of the country, 
is mainly the result of the variety of circumstance under which it 
is visited. The tyranny of first impressions is difficult to eradi- 
cate, and is ever liable to exert its influence over our better judg- 
ments. It is, therefore, matter of litde surprise, that a large num- 
ber of our volunteers, who, on their first arrival at Point Isabel and 
Matamoras, under the most untoward circumstances, and encoun- 
tering trials at which their ideas of domestic comfort revolted, 
should arrive at original and diversified conclusions. Nor is it at 
all strange that much of the dark and gloomy should be niingled 
in the creations of those whose bright hopes of speedy conquest 
have been supplanted by the more melancholy feeling incident to 
disaopointment and disease. 

The principal objection to the country of the Rio Grande, and 
indeed, the larger portion of the Mexican provinces, arises from the 
scarcity of timber and water. The ebony, musquite, rosewood, 
and a variety of other short, stunted, and thorny growths, almost 
insulated with vines of different species, and some of whose flow- 
ers bloom perennially, constitute the only woodlands — if they de- 
serve to be so denominated — in the vicinity of that river. Oc- 
casionally the willo.v and white cypress are to be found approach- 
ing the banks, but not in sufficient abundance to aflbrd fuel, at 
(what in boating parlance we consider) a fair compensation. 
The ebony and rosewood are the " tallest timber," but it is sel- 
dom that either reaches an altitude of over forty feet. Both are 
well adapted to the manufacture of light cabinet ware, and would 
doubtless be appropriated by the " Yankees " to that purpose. 

The rumor that extensive beds of coal abounded in the vicinity 
of Guerrero, a town on the Rio Grande, about three hundred and 
fifty miles from Matamoras was sufficient inducement to visit that 
place, on a kind of exploring expedition. Although the practica- 
bility of navigating the river, above the mouth of the San Juan, had 
been doubted, yet it was easily accomplished ; indeed, it has since 
been ascended to Laredo, a distance of some seven hundred 
and thirty miles from the Brazos. Tiie chief obstructions to navi- 
gation consist in the rapidity of the current, and the narrow passa- 
ges between the reefs — the latter of which might be easily 
removed, at a trifling expense. The most remarkable of these are 



IN MEKICO. 15 

said to occur above the mouth of the R-io Salado — one of which 
is represented to be more than a mile in length. They consist of 
a spongy composition of coral rock, and bear a close resemblance 
to some of the specimens found in the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. 

After having made three trips from the Brazos to Matamoras, the 
Ontario left the latter place on the 14th of June (1846) and ascend- 
ed to Guerrero, touching at the principal points between the two 
cities, all of which are on the Mexican side. 

Reynosa, some forty miles below Caaiargo, is an inconsiderable 
place, but eligibly situated. It contains some fine brick buildings, 
and a population of perhaps one thousand. 

Camargo, on the bank of the river San Juan, a short distance 
above its confluence with the Rio Grande, has, since the existence 
of the war, become a place of some note, though previously it was 
rather obscure and unimportant, save as a point pursued to Monte- 
rey, the capital of the province of New Leon, and one of the prin- 
cipal scenes of the triumph of our arms. 

The town of Mier, known as the place where Col. Fisherand his 
men were captured during the Texan war, contains over five thou- 
sand inhabitants. It is located on the Rio Alcantro, three miles 
above its confluence with the Rio Grande, and forty-five miles above 
Camargo. Under a different form of government, and with an in- 
dustrious and enterprising population, such as is generally found in 
the towns of the United States, Mier would soon command exten- 
sive manufactures, and a flourishing trade. Its water power, which 
is now unemployed and unnoticed, would afford superior facilities 
for the manufacture of woollen and cotton fabrics, the raw material 
for either of which, may be produced in the immediate vicinity with 
little labor. Indeed, its natural resources are almost unsurpassed, 
but are destined to remain undeveloped, until American genius shall 
have been directed to that quarter. So soon as the navigation of 
the Rio Grande shall be opened to the commercial world, if that 
period find its manufacturing facilities in their present state of na- 
ture, the great variety of domestic manufactures of the United States 
will find a ready and profitable market along the whole line of that 
great thoroughfare. The inhabitants, at present, produce little else 
than stock, which requires no food but inusquite grass and fodder; 
with Indian corn sufficient to supply themselves with tortillas. 
Single herds of cattle, numbering from five to ten thousand, and 
double that number of sheep and goals, are not unfrequently to be 
seen. 

Ascending the river from Mier, a very material change for the bet- 
ter is observable in the character of the country. On either side, 
rich and extensive valleys stretch out to what is called the " table 
lands," presenting a strong and deep soil, in some places judiciously 
cultivated. Occasionally in the prairies, extensive cotton farms, 



16 donnavan's adventures 

containing from ten to three hundred thousand acres, are to be seen. 
Beans, potatoes, wheat, and corn are here grown in greater abun- 
dance, perhaps, than in any other part of Mexico, a fact which taken 
in consideration with its commercial and manufacturing advantages, 
must ultimately render the valley of the Rio Grande, one of the 
most important regions of the South. 

Ninety-six miles above Mier, on the Rio Salado, is located the 
flourishing city of Guerrero. This embryo city is approached by 
ascending the Salado to its rapids, one mile and a half below the 
town, and ten miles from its confluence with the Rio Grande. The 
rapids and adjacent scenery present a peculiarly picturesque and 
romantic view. The river here is small and the current exceedingly 
rapid ; and as its dark turbid waters leap and tumble over the black, 
dingy rocks, they seem endeavoring to imitate Niagara itself. Per- 
haps the effect produced is equal, but the grandeur is incomparably 
insignificant, when viewed in connection with that great and won- 
derful water-fall of the world ! The scenery about Guerrero is 
neither insipid uor monotonous. Gigantic hills rise abruptly from 
the banks, which are covered with pine, magnolia, and various 
growths of evergreen, yet there seems to be a contention between 
the rocks and shrubs for the supremacy of the soil. Some leagues 
from the town, and as the sources of the Salado are approached, 
forest timber of large dimensions is said to abound. 

The Ontario being the second boat to approach Guerrero, and the 
largest ever seen by the natives, great curiosity was manifested, and 
she was thronged by visiters. Their astonishment and interrogato- 
ries relative to the boat and its machinery, afforded a fund of amuse- 
ment to the officers. The Alcalde remarked in Spanish, which 
when translated gave us to understand that, like " Capt. Scott's 
coon, he was in favor of coming down." He said he had been~" 
told that the Americans could send their letters by thunder and 
lightning, but he never believed it — yet since he had seen, with his 
own eyes, that they could twist iron into so many fantastic shapes, 
and make it float against the current, he began to think they could 
accomplish any thing they chose to undertake, and it was of no use 
to fight against them. The Alcalde came on board soon after the 
boat landed, stating that one of his rancheros had informed him 
that the Americans were coming in a " sea-wagon " that split the 
waves and rocks in two, forcing its own passage. It seemed as if 
about half the inhabitants expected to be annihilated at once, so 
alarming was the commotion, until they were assured by the Al- 
calde that the boat, although breathing and snorting, did not pos- 
sess animal life, and was perfectly docile. Whethej through fear 
or atTection, great friendship was manifested by the authorities, and 
the priests were highly delighted to find that the American Bible 
so closely resembled their own. Fandangoes were gotten up in the 



IN MEXICO. 17 

city, and invitations extended to many of our company. Of course 
we attended, and were highly pleased with the beauty and enthu- 
siasm of the women, but disgusted at the ignorance and incivilities 
of the men. I must descril)e a fandango. When a large rancho 
is not convenient, an area of a hundred yards is swept off, and in 
the soft, silvery moonlight, young and old congregate around a dim 
lamp. Agitated by the discordant notes from some rude instrument, 

" Those dance and waltz who never waltzed before, 
And those who always waltzed now waltz the more." 

Guerrero contains a population of near 10,000, and is a popular 
place of resort among the better classes, on account of its sulphur 
springs. These springs are located above the city some twelve 
miles, and are said to possess the same medicinal virtues as the cel- 
ebrated Blue Lick springs, of Kentucky. The first settlement was 
made at Guerrero, in the form of a missionary station, more than 
one hundred years ago. It is the largest and decidedly the most 
pleasant place on the Rio Grande. Owing, perhaps, to the materials 
used for construction, together with the rude notions of architecture 
entertained by the natives, most of the towns in Mexico present an 
appearance of antiquity which does not in justice belong to many 
of them. The style of building is rather tasteful in eflect, but mea- 
gre and insignificant in detail. Most of the dwellings in Guerrero 
have their gardens and yards ; and the entire place, in the absence 
of every thing like gaudy display, presents an appearance of ease 
and comfort, if not of wealth. 

It was soon found that bituminous coal of excellent quality, could 
be obtained here in abundance. There exists several varieties, 
among which is one containing little or no sulphur, and which burns 
readily as it falls into water. This is a superior article for the use 
of blacksmiths, as was ascertained by actual experiment. Active 
preparations were making by a company of Americans to work 
these mines, which when opened, must become invaluable in a 
country where timber is so scarce and expensive. 

Silver ore is found in the vicinity, and gold dust is said to exist in 
the alluvial deposits above the mouth of the Rio Salado. Red chalk, 
red and yellow ochre, brimstone and nitre, likewise abound within 
a circumference often miles of the town. 

The Mississippi, which has long enjoyed the undisputed reputa- 
tion of being the crookedest river on our continent, is hardly an 
index to the Rio Grande. It must have required an accomplished 
surveyor to ascertain the general course of the latter stream, flowing 
as it does to every point of the compass, and torturing itself to find 
some new direction. Boats frequently get fast in turning the bends, 
and were it not for the velocity of the current, pilots would surely 
2* 



18 donnavan's adventures 

get lost in its mazy labyrinths. The " oldest inhabitants " contend 
that birds seldom succeed in flying across — but almost invariably 
light on the same side from whence they take their flight. In width 
it varies from 100 to 300 yards. 'J'he complexion of its waters re- 
sembles those of the Missouri, while the rapidity of its current is 
even greater. In extent of volume it may perhaps compare with 
the Cormecticut river at Hartford. It is navigable for steamboats of 
light draught, during the freshet seasons, to Laredo, seven hundred 
miles above the mouth. 

To the scientific geologist, the upper Rio Grande could not fail 
to present a field of peculiar interest. There exist many novel spe- 
cimens, and the earth is rich in mineral treasures. A large portion 
of the rock formation is of sand-stone, which is constantly increas- 
ing. The intense heat of the sun, succeeding the heavy rains, soon 
converts the alluvial deposits into rock. Islands frequently rise from 
twenty to fifty feet above the surface of the water, composed of what 
might be termed calcareous conglomerates. They appear to be col- 
lections of large sea shells, with a great many fibrous petrifactions 
of roots, bark, and grasses, and in some are found considerable 
quantities of carbonate of iron. Many of the bluffs exhibit, near 
their bases, strata of the finest quality of clay, adapted to the man- 
ufacture of a superior article of delf. In short, this region affords 
every natural resource to attract the attention of capitalists and spec- 
ulators, while there is little to allure the hardy pioneer of the West, 
who paves the path of civilization by hewing out his own home and 
fortune in the forest. 

After lying at Guerrero three days, and taking on board over fifty 
tons of coal, the Ontario left on her return to Matamoras, on the 
morning of June 22d, her departure apparently regretted by a large 
numbt r of the inhabitants, of all ages, sexes, colors, and conditions, 
who had assembled to witness her departure, and who continued to 
wave their scarfs, handkerchiefs, blankets, and reboses, till the boat 
had receded beyond their sight. 



CHAPTER II. 

Return to Matamoras — Creole Fever— Treatment — Recovery — Bany and 
Cunningham — Visit to Palo Mo — Burial of a Soldier — Impressions — 
Arrival of Volunteers — Speculators — Gamhling — Gen. Taylor's Orders — 
His personal Appearance — Anecdote of a Dutchman — Great thirst for Glory 
— Travelling on the Rio Grande — Mexican Women — Anecdote of Lieuten- 
ant Deans — Costume of the Women — Rancheros — their appearance and Dress. 

Suffering from a severe and violent attack of '•' Creole fever," 
which confined me to my room for four consecutive weeks, I 



IN MEXICO. 19 

arrived at Matamoras on the 2r)th of June, (1846.) Leaving the 
boat, I look lodgings at the "United States Hotel," of which Mr. 
Howard, a warm-hearted and genilenianly Kenuickian, was pro- 
prietor. Those who were so unfortunate as to be in Matamoras 
at this period, knew well how to appreciate a kind or generous 
action ; for it was with some difficulty, among the vast crowd 
which then thronged the city, that those in perfect health could 
procure the ordinary necessaries of life ; much less could an in- 
valid, prostrated by disease, look for those attentions called for in 
his suffering condition. 

It was during this illness that I became acquainted with the two 
gentlemen who were afterwards my unfortunate associates in cap- 
tivity — Dr. Barry, of Mississippi, and Mr. Cunningham, of Louis- 
ville, Kentucky. The assiduity which characterized their disin- 
terested attentions, can never be forgotten, nor can I ever hope to 
extinguish the obligations under which their repeated acts of kind- 
ness placed me. Ceasing to cherish the memory of those who 
could turn aside from their occupations of dealing death and de- 
struction, to alleviate, with a gentler hand, the afflictions of an in- 
valid stranger, I should, indeed be ungrateful. To their unre- 
mitting attention and kind ministrations, I perhaps owe my recov- 
ery from a disease which is there seldom eluded, during the pro- 
cess of acclimation ; and in four weeks from the period of my 
attack, was sufficiently restored to health and strength, as to be 
able to accompany them on a visit to the battle fields of Palo Alto 
and Reseca de la Palma. The excursion was one of deep and 
mournful interest. It was on the occasion of the funeral of young 
Danforth, a regular in the American Army, who had received his 
death-wound at Palo Alio, and who, after lingering two nonihs, 
died in the same hotel and in the same room I occupied. He had 
been taken to the hospital, but could not endure the idea of dying 
there, and was brought to the hotel on his own earnest and re- 
peated solicitations. His last wish was to be buried on the battle 
field. He had been but a private soldier — yet, in the absence 
of the " pomp and circumstance " which usually attend the last 
rites of those superior to him in station, the scene was a melan- 
choly and impressive one. Pecuniary reverses and domestic mis- 
fortune had driven him to join the regular service, about a year 
before the present war. He was a native of Tennessee, and had 
been quite a favorite with his regiment, as well as in the social 
circle that he had once adorned. His comrades were all ready 
to sound his praises — and although his private history was com- 
paratively unknown, his intelligence and unassuming manners, 
with his brave and manly bearing, had particularly attracted the 
notice and warm regard of his officers. His last day upon the 
earth was peculiarly appropriate to the closing scene, even of a 



20 donnavan's adventures 

warrior's career. It was calm and clear, as the soul is, after the 
storm and struggle of ambition have passed away. It was one of 
those mellow, golden days, experienced alone under a tropical 
sun, and the stars and stripes hung in motionless solemnity over 
the subdued city of Matamoras. Soldiers were collected together 
in small groups, whispering among themselves — and even the 
sergeant, when uttering his orders, seemed to dispense with half 
his authority. Soon the muffled roll of the drum was heard, and 
silent and dejected, with their eyes fixed upon the ground, and 
their arms reversed, the soldiers formed in procession. With 
measured pace they approached the battle field. Arriving at the 
grave, the black f)all, which covered a plain coffin, was removed, 
and tlie remains of the deceased were silently lowered into the 
earth, by his old associates. The troops encircling the grave, 
the word of command was given, and the simultaneous discharge 
of musketry announced that a soldier had been deposited in his 
last, quiet resting place, beyond the din of batile and the strife 
for gl >ry. But the roaring requiems from the arms of those who 
had survived him were proof that he had died as a soldier ought 
to die — full of honor — though not upon the battle field. 

His old comrades retired, and as they walked mournfully away, 
casting bnck a lingering look upon the newly heaped up mound, 
T asked myself if these were the heroes who were carrying the 
fame of the American arms to the remotest regions of the earth, 
and unfurling the flag of the free over half a continent — if men 
who could not witness, without the deepest emotion, the burial of 
a comrade, could ever have rushed so impetuously to the charge I 
Yet I knew that they had, and rejoiced to see that those who 
could fight valiantly, could also feel sensitively, and weep bitterly. 
But such have always been the character and sentiments of the 
American soldier — such must ever remain distinguishing features 
in the conduct of a people nurtured in the school of social refine- 
ment and constitutional liberty. 

Resuming my situation of clerk on the Ontario, in July, I had 
the pleasure of meeting a number of old friends among the vol- 
unteers from the States of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, 
who were then arriving at Brazos Island. An almost innumerable 
swarm of speculators followed in their train, across the Gulf, an- 
ticipating a rich harvest, and a realization of speedy fortune. The 
vulture-like avidity with which this class of people flocked around 
our army, was alike discreditable to themselves and to the charac- 
ter of our government. Disappointed in attaining their object, 
they were often found to be the perpetrators of outrages upon the 
persons and property of the enemy in cold blood ; and for which 
acts of violence the volunteers were not unfrequently held respon 
sible. Men were to be seen here from every known quarter of 



IN MEXICO. 21 

the globe, without visible means of support, and no resource but 
that of peculation and open robbery : in fact, the variety f)f " gen- 
tlemen of leisure" vi'as complete, from the well-clad gambler to 
the common vagabond, with his dilapidated habiliments, descant- 
ing upon his "unfortunate" condition, and omitting no opportu- 
nity to impress the belief that he "had been better raised." 
Games of monte, " white or red," faro, and even " old sledge," 
were extensively indulged in, while every other stratagem was put 
in requisition to relieve the unsuspecting of their extra change. 
It was not long, however, before Gen. Taylor issued peremptory 
orders of ejectment to this class of adventurers. And old " Rough 
and Ready " is the man to be obeyed. Plain yet prepossessing 
in his manners, he combines the firmness and decision of Gen. 
Jackson, with much of the iron nature of that old patriot-hero. 
In his person, Gen. Taylor is rather above the middle stature, and 
somewhat deficient in elegance of figure, yet in his regimentals 
he possesses a striking and manly appearance. In his tent, where he 
usually appears in his citizen's dress, a superficial observer might 
regard him as no more than a common individual ; but upon close 
examination, his head will be found large, and formed on the 
finest model. His forehead is spacious and elevated — his nose 
a most prominent feature, and decidedly aquiline. His eyes grey, 
keen, and piercing — his mouth large, and chin well-proportioned. 
He is remarkable for a deep depression between his nose and 
forehead, and a contraction of his brow, which gives to the upper 
part of his countenance an air of sternness, while the lower part 
is an emblem of mildness and benevolence. 

Among other ludicrous incidents which occurred on the day of 
general dispersion, was one serving forcibly to illustrate the shrewd- 
ness of Yankee character. A certain " Mynheer," of New Or- 
leans, rather fresh from the other side of the water, had been re- 
tailing "hard cider" quite extensively among the soldiers, at ten 
cents a glass. The dimensions of his temporary domicil being 
rather prescribed, he had arranged the barrel from which he drew 
the refreshing beverage, so that one end extended beyond the 
constitutional limits of his territory. On. the last day of grace, 
notwithstanding his anxiety to sell out and close business, he 
found his patronage alarmingly diminished. His old customers 
came up to the bar as usual, to inquire the price of cider ; but 
when he responded " ten cents a glass," they gravely informed 
him that his next neighbor was selling " the same article " at lialf 
a dime! Finally, the Dutchman, on walking round to the rear of 
his tent, found that a Yankee soldier had lapped the other end of 
the barrel, and actually sold out, at half price ! 

About this period, the army was congregating at Camargo, pre- 
paratory to marching against Monterey, where Gen. Arista had 



22 donnavan's adventures 

concentrated a large force ; and the boat, on her upward trips, was 
crowded with volunteers. Officers and privates who had escaped 
the epidemic consequent upon acclimation, were all eager to " meet 
the enemy." Many of the young (Captains, who had perhaps never 
before unsheathed a sword, seemed particularly anxious to immor- 
talize themselves. How they should " distinguish" themselves was 
the all-engrossing subject of conversation, and with their backs 
against a chair, their feet planted, in true American style, against the 
railing, they would sit smoking their sigaretto, or masticating James 
River, with no care to perple.x them but ihe vain hope of glory. 

Travelling on the Rio Grande is unlike travelling on the Ohio. 
Here, if a man's genius have a philosophical bend, he can give 
himself up to consolatory contemplations. He can look out upon 
the proud hills, and the well-cultivated valleys, as he passes swiftly 
over the glittering waters, and enjoy the homes of his thriving 
countrymen. He can read some favorite author, or chat with 
some old gentleman on the follies and vanities of the world in 
general — or he may while away the hours with an innocent flirta- 
tion with some witch of a girl, to whom he has been introduced, 
and wreathe the fairy footsteps of old Time with the flowers of 
poesy and passion. It is not so easy to find amusement on the 
dark and restless waters of the Rio Grande. There you must talk 
of battles, of surprises, heroes, and forced marches ; and there is 
little to relieve this belligerent monotony except the occasional ap- 
pearance of the laundresses of some neighboring rancho or haci- 
enda, rolhng up their gowns, and wading into the water with a 
bundle of '• duds," on washing day. Tubs seldom stand on their 
own bottoms in this part of Mexico, for such articles of domestic 
convenience have scarcely penetrated that half-civilized region. 
As a cons'^quence, their women perform this very necessary part- 
of household labor, in the river, and from which novel custom 
they seem to have imbibed a sort of amphibious nature. It is by 
no means an uncommon occurrence, especially on the San Juan 
and Sahido rivers, to see droves of joyous young girls disporting 
like mermaids among the waves, with their long, black, dishevelled 
locks, playing confusedly on the surface. Bathing seems to be a 
passion among Mexican females, and it is one mark of their supe- 
rior knowledge in the science of promoting the health and vigor 
of the body. 

Much has been recently said and written of the Mexican wo- 
men, of whose personal appearance and peculiarities of character, 
we have been comparatively ignorant. The writer may, therefore, 
be permitted to hazard his own opinion among others, so far as the 
extent of his obversation will warrant him in forming one. Those 
about the Rio Grande can scarcely be regarded as a fair specimen 
of the SOX in the interior ; yet even they, many of them in a half- 



IN MEXICO. 33 

barbarous State, with all their faults, possess many redeeming quali- 
ties. They are remarkable for their cleanliness, good behavior, 
and hospitality: and they look upon drunkenness and like vces 
with no degree of toleration. In the north-eastern provinces par- 
ticularly, they are a mixed and mongrel race, generally the ilhcit 
descendants of Mexican, Indian, and Spaniard, penciled occasion- 
ally with a faint outline of Anglo-Saxon ancestry. Their almost 
universally small feet and ankles are just cause for regarding the 
understandings of our people with a degree of astonishment, and 
I have often seen them in ecstacies of laughter, while ridiculing 
the extensive feet of some of our volunteers. Asa general thing they 
possess great symmetry of form, and their black, silken hair, pearly 
teeth, and full, dark eyes, modestly beaming with the most intense, 
and expressive emotion, are well-calculated to bring vividly to 
mind Byron's picture of the "Dark-eyed Girl of Cadiz : " — 

" The Spanish g^irl is no coquette, 

Nor joys to see her lover tremble; 
And if she love, or if she hate. 

Alike she knows not to dissemble." 

It was a bewitching beauty, of this description, that so suddenly 
besieged the heart of Lieutenant Deans, and led him into double 
captivity. Before the army had crossed to Matamoras, and while 
occupying Fort Brown, it was custotnary for the American band 
to perform some national air, evening and morning. On such an 
occasion the " concert of sweet sounds," in the music of the Star 
Spangled banner," attracted the attention of crowds of Mexicans 
on the o[)posite shore, among whom appeared a number of ladies. 
Our " native American." became suddenly enamored with one of 
these, and after mutual signs and tokens were passed, he plunged 
into the Mexican Hellespont, and landed in the enemy's domin- 
ions. But in endeavoring to capture his heroine, he was himself 
made a captive. It is creditable, however, to the Lieutenant's 
constancy, that after the bombardment of Matamoras, and his 
trial and acquittal for desertion, he married the object of his violent 
passion. 

The style of dress adopted by the ladies is by no means prepos- 
sessing. Among the more common classes, it usually consists of 
light slippers without stockings, a flannel petticoat, and a cheniise 
that leaves a much larger share of the neck, shoulders, and that 
entire neighborhood, bare, than our sense of modesty would dic- 
tate. The rehoso, or bonnet, when worn, not only covers this 
nakedness, but leaves one in doubt whether the head is a part of 
the body, or the body a part of the head. 

The females are transcendantly superior to the males, not only 
in personal appearance, but in every essential requisite that con- 



24 donnavan's adventuhes 

tributes to moral refinement. The great mass of the men are 
ignorant, indolent, inefficient creatures, distinguished by but one 
leading trait of character — that trait is treachery, and a studied 
effort how they shall obtain a living without work. The rancheros, 
or farmers, who compose the great body of the Mexican cavalry, 
constitute about the best portion of their native population, so far 
as energy of character and intelligence are concerned. They are 
half Spanish and half Indian in their extraction ; gaunt, shrivelled, 
though nmscular in their frames ; dark, swarthy visaged, and 
below the ordinary stature. They live more than half their time 
in the saddle, and are unrivalled horsemen. They are ever on the 
alert, and seldom surprised. VV^hen not in pursuit of plunder, 
they roam over the vast plains, and employ their time in lassoing 
buffalo and wild horses, which are to be found there in countless 
numbers. Killing these animals and preparing their hides for the 
market, is their means of livelihood. Their costume generally 
consists of a pair of tough raw-hide leggings, with sandals of the 
same material, bound together with leathern thongs, over which is 
a blanket, with a hole in the centre, large enough to allow the 
head to be thrust out, and which falls rather gracefully over their 
shoulders, leaving ample room for the play of their arms — the 
head covered with a broad straw sombrero, and a lasso in his 
girdle, ready for use. Such is the appearance of the ranchero, in 
time of peace, or when engaged in his ordinary occupation. Add 
to this a long lance with a sharp spear-head, ornamented with a 
strip of red bunting, on a horse as savage and unmanageable as 
himself, his belt amply supplied with pistols and knives, and you 
see him as a member of a troop of banditti, or as a soldier in the 
body of cavalry. Cowardly as they universally are in the^ 
open field, yet in a conflict among the chapara! of their own 
country, or in an ambuscade, they are indeed a formidable foe. 
Their power of enduring fatigue is almost incredible, and a scanty 
meal per diem, of jeiked beef and plantain, will suffice them for 
months, under ordinary circumstances. Such was the personal 
appearance and character of the men composing the guerrilla 
band, into whose hands we had the misfortune to fall. 



IN MEXICO. 25 



CHAPTER III. 

A Hunting Excursion — Capture — Journey to Mier — Pickiv^; Pockets — 
Appearance and Character of Cnnales— The Jiirst night of our Captivity — JVovel 
Interview with one of the Ranchvros — Sentence oj Death — Mexican Character 
— Interference in our behalf — Sentence reversed'— Our fate revealed. 

On the thirteenth of October (that most unlucky day of all 
months,) preparatory to departing on her downward trip, the 
Ontario entered the mouth of the San Juan river a short distance 
below Camargo, " to wood." A number of passengers destined 
for Matanioras and the Brazos, were already on board, among 
whom, were Dr. Barry and Mr. Cunningham, alluded to in the 
preceding chapter. While the boat was " lying to," those gentle- 
men and myself, desiring a little recreation and amusement, went 
ashore for the purpose of shooting deer, amardilloes, or any other 
game which so abounds in the cliaparel about Camargo. We had 
advanced perhaps a hundred yards in the thickets, when we saw 
a herd of deer, slowly and lazily receding from us, as if conscious 
they were alluring us into difficulty. Forgetting", for the moment, 
that straggling panics of armed Mexicans were frequently seen 
prowling about in that vicinity, robbing and murdering indiscrimi- 
nately, we continued the chase and ventured above half a mile 
from the boat, when a simultaneous discharge of pieces brought 
down two fine stags. With that degree of enthusiasm which sel- 
dom fails to attend the first conquest in the career of amateur 
sportsmen, we eagerly rushed upon our fallen victims to apply the 
knife. Exulting in our success, and engrossed in contemplating 
the rich and sumptuous feast we should enjoy ; and having settled 
the preliminaries, as to how the " saddles " should be servtd, the 
reader may imagine our surprise at finding ourselves surrounded 
by over thirty armed and savage looking Mexicans ! Our car- 
niverous contemplations were quickly succeeded by a very different 
sensation about the stomach. Prompted by the same feeling, our 
first impulse was to ofiTer a desperate resistance, and sell our lives 
as dearly as possible ; but on attempting to re-load our guns, the 
banditti, with their glittering spears, rushed in upon us, and we 
were immediately captured and disarmed. 

In such a crisis, it is difficult either to describe or imagine one's 
feelings. From the notoriously desperate character of those into 
whose hands we had fallen, nothing better than an unceremonious 
and cruel butchery could be reasonably anticipated. The situa- 
tion of Herr Driesbach, in his cage of lions and tigers, would have 
been an enviable one, compared to ours. But they gave us no 
time for reflection or condolence, even had the time or occasioB 
3 



DONNAVAN S ADVENTURES 



provoked such a train of thought. Tying our hands behind us, 
they lashed us upon the backs of their own mustangs, and thus 
conveyed us some thirty miles, before sunset. Our eniire party 
halted for the night in the woods, within a few miles of the town 
of Mier, whither a deputation was immediately despatched to pur- 
chase a supply of muscal. Adhering strictly to the motto, that 
" to the victors belong the spoils," they now proceeded to search 
our pockets, when to their evident mortification, they found on 
our persons onlyi about ^10. Of this amount, together with 
our pen-knives, pencils, watches, &,c., we were relieved, with that 
peculiar nonchalance, so characteristic of the Spanish brigand. 
Our fate was yet a mystery, and after binding us securely, hand 
and foot, and separating us at a distance of about fifty feet from 
each other, they commenced drinking muscal and playing at monte. 
The night was made hideous by the howling of half starved wolves, 
and the unceasing altercations and jangling of those who were 
unlucky at cards. Sleep, under such circumstances, was an 
" obsolete idea," and the morning, instead of bringing repose to 
our sore and jellied flesh, found us involved in dire regrets, and 
cogitating on tlie certain uncertainty of human events. Those 
few of our captors who had been permitted to fall into a broken 
and troubled slumber, were aroused with the sun, and the crowd 
gathered menacingly around us. From their gestures, it was obvi- 
ous they had been disappointed in not finding more booty, and 
were grumbling over their ill luck. 

A thought here struck me, which I doubt not was the means of 
rescuing us all from a sadder fate. With a very indefinite idea 
of the Spanish language, I endeavored to make them understand 
that two of us were practical printers — an announcement which I 
well knew would shield a man from robbery in the United States-^ 
and supposed it might be a satisfactory apology, even there, for the 
exhausted condition of our finances. They failed to interpret my 
Spanish, when a young man, rejoicing in the sobriquet of Poco Lla- 
ma (little flame.) accosted me in broken English, and demanded 
an explanation. To him I made an appeal, in all the eloquence 
such an occasion might inspire, and soon succeeded in eliciting 
his interest in our behalf. But he possessed no authority, save that 
which sprang from the respect and influence he had gained as an 
interpreter. The most prominent figure — the moving spirit and 
leader of the band, was Canalles — brother of the celebrated Mex- 
ican General and guerrilla chief of that name — and the same who 
was recently shot at Ceralvo. He was an old man, and sat on a 
log, at some distance, leaning lazily forward, with his elbows on 
his knees, while he extracted with his jack-knife, the rich marrow 
from the thigh bones of one of the stags we had killed on thepre- 
yious day — they having taken peaceable possession of the two 



IN MEXICO. 27 

dead carcasses, and brought with them the veritable "saddles" of 
venison which had excited such a yearning sympathy in our own 
bosoms. This old reprobate was eager for gain ; he possessed a 
keen and insatiable desire for plunder. Ostentatious of display, 
he seemed desirous to impress us with some evidence of his supe- 
riority over his comrades in crime. With an antique and dilapi- 
dated sombrero Stuck jauntingly on one side of his grey, bri^stly 
head — his leathery countenance expressing a Kind of reckless 
good humor, shadowed out from his austerity, and which his pres- 
ent discontent could not wholly banish — he sat venting his wrath 
and disappointment through his old, toothless jaws, and sinful lips, 
in a succession of oaths and imprecations, and in a reckless and dis- 
dainful manner, that had long survived his youth. Assuming an 
air of anger and ferocity, he drew around him the entire party, 
whose exact number we had now ascertained to be thirty-three, 
and announcing that we should all be dispatched at once, he or- 
dered his men to perform the work of death ! Although this in- 
telligence was not unexpected, we could not suppress the deep 
drawn sigh which ever accompanies that stern and solemn verdict. 
How rapidly one will glance over the reminiscences of past life, to 
dwell upon the bright spots in his pilgrimage, when conscious that 
his career is about to close forever ! Saints, in perfect health and 
ser-iirily, may channt their choruses, reliiously asseverating that 
" they would not live always," yet when they come to give up the 
ghost, and find their last tracks on time's territory suddenly sliding 
into the dark and unexplored regions of eternity, they are apt to 
manifest a desire to renew their lease upon life — and to hope, 
even in the darkest hour of despair. Such at least has been 
our experience. Entertaining, as we all did, the utmost con- 
tempt for our " chivalrous captors" — knowing that they, as well 
as the whole Mexican army, were a people, who in point of treach- 
ery, degradation, and cruelty, stood pre-eminent among all nations 
under the canopy of heaven — yet we continued, even under their 
sentence, to hope that through some unrevealed intervnteion, our 
lives might be spared. The fact need not be concealed, that from 
their meanest soldier to their best general, they are a nation of 
liars and plunderers. There are a few honorable exceptions, it is 
true, but more modest epithets will not serve truly to portray their 
general character. — The gratification of their sensual desires 
seems to be the sole object of life, and money is their god. The 
eternal chink of change is their national music. It seems to burn 
in their pockets, and they shake it to keep it cool. Boasting of 
their freedom, they buy and sell their own free citizens ! There 
is scarcely an officer in the army, from Santa Anna down to Gen. 
Requina, who has not been publicly bought and sold. Every man 
has his price, and such are their mercenary natures, that many of 



28 donnavan's adventures 

them consent 1o sell their souls, and stalk about in the miserable 
shell of mortality, moving libels on the human race, plundering and 
murdering those whose more virtuous deeds they have not the moral 
courage to imitate. 

Our knowledge of this "ruling passion," considered in connec- 
tion with the fact that our pockets had signally failed to meet their 
anticipations of gain, gave us little to hope foi*, till Poco l^lama 
conveyed to us the welcome intelligence, that through his "special 
pleading," Canalles had reversed his former sentence. We at once 
felt a weighty debt of gratitude to the interpreter, and began to 
regard him as our deliverer ; when we found that his seeming disin- 
terested interference had been prompted by the same love of gain 
which is the propelling lever to every Mexican heart. He had pre- 
vailed on Canalles to spare our lives, on condition that he himself 
would sell us and divide the proceeds. We could enter no protest 
against this novel proceeding, although in our former capacity of 
political editor, we had been in the habit of preaching " give me 
liberty or give me death," and subn)itted to our fate with apparent 
good grace. Unarmed, and out-numbered as we were, ten to one, 
sophistry was our only available resource — so feigning the highest 
regard for the people and institutions, which at heart we abhorred, 
we submitted to the humiliating spectacle of being placed " under 
the hammer," and marched off to be employed in some unknown 
Mexican printing office, upon a comparatively unknown language. 



CHAPTER IV. 

March for Cernlvo — Diet — Pinto Indians — Insults — JVeiv Jewelry — Si/mpa- 
thy anions; the Dutch — Road to Carmillo — Scenen/ — Hacienda of San Ma- 
tero — Ancient Ruins — Slavery in Mexico — Arrival at Carmillo — Beauty 
and Jlmusemevls — A Robber pursuing an Indian — A Mountain Pai>s — 
Death among the Mustangs — Desolation of a Rancho — Arrival at Monclova — 
Failure to sell I*risoners — Confinement in Prison — Appearance of the Prison 
and Inmates — A Mier Prisoner — Reflections, ifc. 

After an hour's consultation, in which each seemed entitled to 
a hearing, twelve of the party, with Poco Llama at their head, 
were deputed to guard us for the future. To convey us as speed- 
ily as possible beyond the reach of the American forces, each was 
again lashed upon a mustang, and we took up the line of march 
for Ceralvo, a distance of thirty-six miles. Inured to a degree of 
abstemiousness themselves, that would do credit to our " Graham- 
ites," they had not furnished us with a particle of food during the 
twenty-four hours of our captivity, and with a promise of provid- 



IN MEXICO. 29 

ing breakfast for us at the first rancho, some three leagues distant, 
we were galloped off at a rate which exercised our physical func- 
tions in a manner eminently calculated to sharpen the appetite. 
But sadly had we realized the melancholy fact that both rancho 
and repast existed only in the imagination of our inhuman mast- 
ers, long before we obtained a mouthful of refreshment. Over 
hill and ravine, through plain and chaparel — the thorns of which 
had completely riddled our clothes, and even introduced them- 
selves, in the most abrupt manner, to the " inner man," — we were 
dragged and driven, till the night brought us up to a miserable 
meson (tavern) in the outskirts of Ceralvo. There we were 
feasted on tough beef, boiled in pepper sauce, seasoned with gar- 
lic, tortillas highly spiced, and milk which tasted like water thick- 
ened with chalk. Uninviting as would have been a collation, con- 
sisting of such arcotics, at any other time, the aristocracy of our 
epicurianism had now so resolved itself into democratic vora- 
city, as to completely dispel all thoughts of luxury ; and we 
continued to gormandize until a number of Pintos gathered 
around us, who, as if apprehensive that we were about to make a 
"clean sweep," sat down on the floor beside us, to help them- 
selves. The tragic manner in which they went to work, justified 
the conclusion that they had starved as long as ourselves ; so we 
quietly resigned the premises to our new adversaries. We after- 
wards ascertained that these fellows had composed a part of the 
Mexican army, and were engaged in the defence of Monterey, on 
the 2lst of the preceding month. For the period of the aimistice 
they had been discharged, to shift for themselves, and were wan- 
dering through the towns, sponging a miserable sustenance. They 
belonged to one of the numerous Indian tribes, and are called Pin- 
tos from the fact that, after arriving at manhood, their faces, from 
some cause or other, which I did not hear explained, become spot- 
ted-^ — yellow and red, I presumed these variegated colors to be 
the result of some mode of tattooing, though at the tin)e felt quite 
indifferent as to their cause. They are utterly worthless as sol- 
diers, for if fired upon once, they never stop for the second round. 
For some time we were compelled to sit and endure the taunts and 
insults of these barbarous bravadoes, who were soon joined by a 
new recruit of swarthy, ill-visaged citizens, to rejoice at our condi- 
tion. In this predicament, our ignorance of their language was 
rather blissful, as we failed to translate their personal insinuations. 
It was not until after we had made an earnest appeal to Poco Llama 
that we were conducted to our lodgings for the night, where we 
were locked up in a damp, dismal room, without a window, and 
left to select the softest place on a brick floor, upon which to re- 
cline our agitated frames — while the guard slept before the door, 

stretched out upon filthy mats. At sunrise, next morning, we 
3# 



30 donnavan's adventures 

were aroused to a breakfast of boiled rice and chili ; or that which 
might be more appropriately termed, pepper soup — to be swal- 
lowed hasty enough for the appetite of an initiated ranchero. 

Breakfast despatched, we were introduced to iron hand cuffs, 
procured for us in Ceralvo. These were an article of jewelry Dr. 
Barry peremptorily refused to wear, and it was not until they were 
forced upon his wrists that he consented they should ornament his 
person. The company being ready to start, a dispute arose be- 
tween the landlord and our leader about the bill, when Poco 
Llama, giving us to understand we were destined to Monclova, 
told the landlord he had an unprofitable set of customers, and 
pushed oil through the town, leaving the bill to " settle itself." 
The next town of any importance on our route to Monclova, was 
Marin ; but esteeming an approach to that place not entirely pru- 
dent, in consequence of its proximity to the American army, then 
at Monterey — twenty-six miles distant — we pursued a mountain 
pass 136 miles, across to Cartnillo. Meandering along this narrow 
path over thirty miles, we halted on the third night at a small 
Dutch settlement, where the vrows gave us some excellent butter- 
milk — the first article of the kind we had drank in the country, 
that was not liberally christened with water. The "grub" at this 
place was also quite palatable, and served by the women, whose 
gestures seemed to express a lively interest in rendering us com- 
fortable, with sad regrets for our misfortunes. They could " nix- 
for-stay " the cause of our confinement in chains, until they ex- 
torted a lie from Poco Llama, who told them we had been detected 
and captured as spies. The doors had neither locks, bolts, nor bars 
— and so observing the signs of sympathy manifested for us among 
the Dutch, a guard was placed over us for the night. 

Our route to Carmillo continued through a country sparsely pop- 
ulated, yet rich in rugged and romantic scenery. Alternately de- 
scending abruptly into, and rising from deep ravines, then passing 
over immense plains, containing little vegetation, except prickly 
pear, among a thin and dwarfish musquite orchaparel, we travelled 
some thirty miles per day. Reaching the hacienda of San Ma- 
tero on the 18th, we stopped for the night. This place presented 
one of the most interesting and novel pictures we had yet encoun- 
tered. The hacienda is situated twenty-six miles from Monclova, 
on the bank of a small, clear mountain stream, called Agua Pensa- 
tivo, (pure water,) atjd near the centre of a lovely basin, some 
thirty miles in circumference. The spot bears every appearance 
of having once been a populous city. Stone foundations are to 
be seen, covering many acres. Innumerable columns and walls 
rise up in every direction, composed of both limestone and sand- 
stone. The columns are built in a variety of shapes, some round, 
others square, and bear every imprint of the work of human 



IN MEXICO. 31 

hands. In many of them, the particles are so closely cemented 
as to leave scarcely a trace of their connection, while others are 
crumbling and disjf)inted at their base, as if once innndated in 
some mighty current that had swept all else away, leaving bare and 
bleached these isolated monuments of its power. For miles in 
the vicinity, the basin is covered with broken pottery of burnt clay, 
fantastically painted and ornamented with a variety of inexplicable 
designs, which, to some extent, serves to reveal the advancement 
of a fallen race in the mechanic arts. 

Whether these ruins have any connection with those of South 
America, is not known. But be this as it may, at some future day, 
when a civilized and enlightened peoi)le shall succeed the present 
population, some geologist or antiquarian may reveal the secret of 
their existence. The Indians pretend to preserve an imperfect 
tradition of the remains, while tlie Mexicans believe them to be 
the ruins of some ancient city of the Aztecs. 

The hacienda of San Matero is a most magnificent and exten- 
sive Stat, enclosing about ten miles square. The principal edi- 
fice is a large, two story, stone building, in the usual style of that 
country. In the cultivation and supervision of his ground, he em- 
ploys over three thousand men, many of whom have wives and 
children ; so that the population must amount to at least six thou- 
sand, who reside in rude huts, scattered over the premises. Here, 
as on the haciendas of Mexico generally, the laborers are slaves — 
inconceivably more abject and servile in their condition than those 
of the United States. By a law of that boasted rejnibUc (?) the 
poorer classes are allowed the privilege of borrowing small amounts 
of money from the wealthy, who, to secure the payment of the in- 
considerable sums, take a mortgage on their persons. The con- 
summation of the marriage contract, in many of the provinces, is 
also an essential source of servitude. The fee of the priest on such 
occasions amounts to from twenty to thirty dollars ; a sum quite 
beyond the command of the great mass, unless they meet with the 
good fortune to steal it. The priest will seldom refuse to " tie the 
knot," however; and if the amount be no' paid, a mortgage is exe- 
cuted upon the persons of those who voluntarily become indebted, 
and they are slaves to all intents and purposes — liable to be trans- 
ferred, indefinitely. It is true, the law does not openly recognize 
unconditional slavery, yet it justifies the mortgagee, in such cases, 
in charging those who are thus placed subject to his control, more 
for their boarding and clothing than their wages amount to; so 
that each succeeding year, instead of discharging any part of the 
original obligation, the laborer but increases his indebtedness, and 
is thus held in perpetual bondage. Their release depends upon 
one single condition : if from disease, or accident, or through any 
misfortune, they are rendered unable to perform labor, and thus 



07S DONNAVAN S ADVENTURES 

become unprofitable subjects, they are at once set at liberty, and 
generally denied even a shelter, where they have perhaps toiled 
for years in servitude. To fathers is also delegated the privilege 
of subjecting their daughters to the provisions of this law, and for 
a trifling offence, handsome young women are often placed in ab- 
ject slavery for the period of their natural lives, by their unnatural 
sires. 

The evening of the following day brought us to Carmillo, a 
fairy-like village, whose beauties can scarcely be surpassed in all 
the expansiveness of the wide world. It is such an Eden as our 
young romantic dreams are apt to picture; where Flora is forever 
building up her bowers — where willow groves and fruit trees or- 
nament the green fields — where the orange blooms while the 
golden fruit yet hangs upon its boughs. This village reposes at 
the foot of a majestic hill, whose one brow frowns upon the sil- 
very curenls of the Agua Pensativo, as they toss their white and 
foamy waves against the rocks, and whose other casts a delightful 
shade over the valley at noontide, as if to shield the pure and in- 
nocent flowers from the envious sunbeams that would rob them 
of their rainbow hues. We entered it through a beautiful grove 
of palmetto trees, nearly a mile in length, stretched along the nar- 
row valley of the small stream, where the Mexicans were ac- 
tively engaged in horse-racing, as a kind of farce, after the more 
tragic spectacle of their favorite amusement — a bull-fight, had 
just been concluded. A more delightful spot could not have been 
selected, and it was literally thronged with people of all ages, 
classes, and sexes — Mexican women selling pulque, beer, milk, 
fruit, cakes, candies, and other nicknacks — and every thing con- 
spiring to remind one of a grand gala-day in the United States.- 
With the exception of several groups of ferocious looking men, 
enveloped in thick, heavy blankets, and who were the living pic- 
tures of Mexican bravos, every body seemed just as happy, gay, 
and contented as if their unfortunate country was not overrun by 
the "hairy barbarians of the North — the degenerate sons of 
Washington," as they politely term us. These men could not 
restrain their feelings of exultatioti, and as we passed on through 
Carmillo, ihey followed us, uttering their hideous yells of triumph 
over our helpless situation. 

Stopping at a miserable rancho near Carmillo overnight, in the 
fore part of the next day we approached a Uiirrow mountain pass, 
when suddenly the deep solitude was broken by an Indian, who 
made the woods resound with the echo of shrieks from his stento- 
rian lungs. He was pursued by a Mexican robber, who held his 
musket poised for a shot. Hurriedly and unexpectedly they dashed 
past us, from the woods upon a broad surface of rocks and sand 
interspersed with stunted bushes, at a pace which that starved and 



IN MEXICO. 33 

tangled chaparel will hardly ever live to again witness. The rob- 
ber sometimes tripped and fell. The thorns and branches had 
torn away fragments of his clothing, and bared his grey head, but 
intent upon his victim, he cared for none of these things. All 
around towered high hills, half clothed with shaggy forests, while 
their precipitous crags and scars of avalanches gave them an ap- 
pearance of savage desolation. These nills, in the province of 
Coahuila, are the terminating ridge of that chain of the great Cor- 
dillera, called the Sierra Madre, and are channeled with ravines, 
often extending from top to bottom, presenting the appearance of 
deep gashes cut in their sides. Many of them expand and grow shal- 
low as they approach the base, where the torrent of earth and stone 
spreads itself over the valley. Up such an ascent, the unarmed 
Indian made his way, pursued by his furious antagonist. Our 
party all paused to witness the struggle. A little stream, whose 
waters at this season trickled down the narrow chasm spreading 
over the rocks, afforded a precarious foothold ; but the frightened 
savage groped his way, the sides of the ravine towering above his 
head, and leaving only a strip of the blue sky visible between their 
verging edges. A " fire in his rear" was suddenly heard, and 
the mountains bellowed back the report ; but the Indian climbed 
unhurt, gaining rapiplly on his pursuer. At length a smooth rock, 
nparly perpf^nHicular. arrested for the moment, the progress of the 
robber. He looked, and saw nothing of his prey. Ai the re- 
newed activity of the savage, his anger and disappointment seemed 
to generate new fury, and he pressed on. His sole desire seemed 
to be that of overtaking and slaying the Indian. With every 
physical faculty strained to its utmost tension, he worked his way 
up the precipice, over the steep wet face of the rock ; but here 
he was compelled to pause, and while his blood cooled, he became 
conscious of his danger. Above him he could find no crevices 
large enough in which lo thrust his finger, nor a projection that 
his foot could rest against — beneath he saw the sharp angles of 
the rocks protruding from the sides of the ravine, and below which 
all lay in deep blackness, like a bottomless gulf. He tried to 
descend, but his feet found nothing to support them, and while 
dangling thus, over the awful chasm, his gun fell from his grasp, 
dashing from side to side, and splintered into a thousand pieces. 
The thought that he must perhaps soon fijllow, appeared to urge 
him almost to desperation. The grey bristles upon his old head 
began to take a perpendicular position, and perilous as was the 
task, he ascended to the top. Hi.s success was almost miracu- 
lous ; and his limbs, aching from the long continued strain of 
every muscle — the ends of his fingers worn to the bone — the 
flesh rubbed from his bare knees — and his heart throbbmg with 
a violence unfelt while he was cliujbing, his energies relaxed, and 



34 donnavan's adventures 

he sank down under the effort. In the heat of the exr-.itement, 
our party had witnessed the scene, unobserved ; and when we came 
up to the exhausted and prostrate robber, in an instant he bounded 
upon his feet, and assumed a belligerent attitude, as if expecting to 
meet the object of his pursuit. The stern rigor of his features 
soon changed to suppliancy, and he immediately began to warn 
our "brave captors" of the imminent danger of the pass, upon 
whose very threshold we then stood. We had approached the 
edge of the pass, and dismounted, preparatory to crossing, when 
a fierce shriek called one of our party back to the robber. But 
he had disappeared, and near the spot where we had left him, 
stood the Indian peering down upon his adversary from behind a 
stunted pine that projected over the gulf. He had turned upon 
his pursuer, and hurled him headlong into eternity, over the 
frightful cliff! 

This pass is within seventeen miles of Monclova, and is re- 
garded as the most perilous in the hills of Coahuila. Droves of 
mules and mustangs are seldom taken over it without serious loss. 
So narrow is the passage, that if an animal make a single mis-step, 
he is precipitateii down a precipice some six hundred feet, and if 
not dashed to pieces, is drowned in the water, unless rescued with 
the lasso. Two of the rancheros were accordingly stationed 
below, on the bank of the small, deep stream, with lassos, while 
two remained behind to drive the mustangs. Amid their shouts 
and a shower of stones, the animals commenced their perilous 
journey, with their noses down to the ground, literally smelling 
their way They walked carefully along, till the leader had nearly 
crossed the most hazardous place, when he stumbled, and his 
hind legs were precipitated over the precipice. With his fore 
feet and nose he continued to hold on to the narrow path. Hts 
successor came up, and, '' following in the footsteps of his prede- 
cessor," was soon placed in the same perilous position. The 
third mustang knocked the noses of those two off the path, and 
losing his own gravity by the act, heels over head, they all rolled 
down the steep slope together, and bounding in the air from a per- 
pendicular off-set, they were plunged into the torrent below. We 
thought, of course, they were all killed, but they presently rose 
up from the surface, looking astonished at so unceremonious an 
immersion, and commenced stemming the current. During this 
time, all eyes were turned to the scene below, and the other mus- 
tangs had slopped, evidently unwilling to proceed after witness- 
ing the fate of the animals so suddenly launched into the " undis- 
covered country." They were again started, however, and all 
accomplished the pass without apparent difficulty. Only one of 
the number that had taken a telegraphic jaunt down the precipice, 
was rescued from the stream alive, and he was left on the ground 
in a dying condition. 



IN MEXICO. 35 

This was a sad misfortune to us, as the loss of three muslangs 
left us without a conveyance. A ranchero is constituiionally 
opposod to pedestrianism, and our ponies were at once taken to 
supply the places of those that had been lost. The prospect of 
being near the end of our journey was some consolation ; so we 
set off, descending the mountain on foot. an)ong the sharp stones, 
thorny shrubs, and wild maguey, which pierced us at almost every 
step. We soon arived at a small, dingy looking rancho, where we 
expected to procure refreshments, but were sadly disappointed. 
The place was in a worse state of confusion than the people about 
Babylon ever dreamed of; and we learned that a party of Cainan- 
cha Indians, twenty or thirty in number, had pounced down upon 
the unsuspecting denizens on the previous day, killing several of 
the men — plundered the houses — and carried off', in triumph, 
the women and children — leaving the survivors in a slate of sor- 
row bordering on phrenzy. We could afford to feel but little 
sympathy for them, as that article was nearly exhausted from home 
consumption, and we knew that they only wanted the opportunity, 
to be guilty of a similar outrage themselves. 

Observing several mules about the premises, we suggested to 
Poco Llama, that he should furnish us with the luxury of such a con- 
veyancebut he disdainfully refused to do so, stating that we were 
now quite beyond the reach of the " Americanos," and that a little 
exercise might serve to remind us of our obligations to him for 
having pertniited us to ride as far as we had, in the interior of 
their republic. 

Just as the last glimpses of departing sunlight were fading in the 
far-off west, we entered the city of Monclova, the capital of the 
province of Coahuila. We found our quarters here quite com- 
fortable, and our fare consisted of delicacies to which we had long 
been unused. We had now been over a week without a change 
of clothes, and the consequence was, we were more ragged and 
dirty, than the rancheros themselves. Worn down by the fatigues 
we had encountered, we were ready for almost any change which 
would place us beyond the control of our present masters. Mon- 
clova was the first place where we were permitted to enjoy the 
luxury of a decent bed, since our departure from Camargo, and 
after a night of uninterrupted repose, we were aroused by our 
" magnanimous leader," who had brought a purchaser to examine 
us. Slave dealers in our own country, like other merchants, gen- 
erally bestow some pains in showing off to the best advantage their 
articles of traffic, preparatory to a sale ; but we experienced no 
such evidences of refinement, and presented, by no means, an im- 
posing appearance. The individual to whom we were offered for 
sale was the printer of a small eight by ten sheet, called the 
" Espanol " He surveyed us in a good humored manner, and 



«©• DONNAVAN S ADVENTURES. 

confessed, — as we learned, that he should be really pleased to 
have a tnortga^^e on us, but doubted his ability to raise the antiount 
demanded. We never ascertained what that amount was ; and 
with the underijtanding that he would make an effort to raise the 
necessary funds, he departed, promising that in the event of his 
success, he would return in tlie course of a few days, to renew the 
negociation. After breakfast, we were somewhat surprised upon 
learning we were to be conveyed to the common prison, to take 
up our abode in the mean lime. Without the least ceremony, 
we were at once marched off and confined in this common 
receptacle for all sorts of criminals. The edifice stands in the 
immediate vicinity of the city, within a large court yard, the 
entrance to which is secured by several iron gates, which it had 
not seemed necessary to close. The approach to the prison forms 
a succession of horrors, the gradual increase of which prepare the 
mind for those which are to ensue, and are a fit prologue to the 
unrevealed miseries yet behind. The massive doors, with their 
huge fastenings — the chains, of forms and sizes as various as the 
crifnes whicli fill the heart of man, an*d hanging upon the walls, 
as if ill mockery of the ornaments which usually adorn ordinary 
dwellings ; the thick stone walls, through which the passages 
seem rather to be cut than built, cast a chill upon the blood when 
entering — and the heavy weight which fdls upon one's animal 
spirits, serves more to check respiration, than even the damp floor 
of the prison itself. This oppression is heightened, too, by the 
scarcely human appearance of the keepers, who swarm about the 
threshold ; and who, if their features expressed the feelings of 
better men, a continued commerce with the most abandoned, and 
their familiarity with crime, have changed them to stoicism, and 
blighted every purer impulse. But painful as is the approach to 
this scene of horror, eacli succeeding step becomes infinitely more 
so. We were ushered into a long, whitewashed chamber, lighted 
by small windows, secured by iron bars. At one end lay the mat- 
trasses and bedding of the inmates, rolled up in as small a com- 
pass as possible, and at the other a Itaden sink, furnished with 
water for the use of the prisoners, but to which, from every appear- 
ance, the premises had not been recently introduced, for the place 
was filthy, almost to suffocation. At the same time so bare and deso- 
late an appearance prevailed throughout the room, that if all other 
circumstances of horror had been absent, there was enough in the 
mere look of the place to njake one shudder. But the people — 
the human beings who were to be our companions — formed a 
spectacle the most revolting. 

During the day, after failing in repeated attempts to engage in 
conversation with those whom we found could speak only the 
French and Spanish languages, we at length came up to a pale, 



IN MEXICO. 37 

emaciated young man, who seemed to be in the last stage of con- 
sumption, and who, to our utter astonishment, we soon found to be 
one of the Mier prisoners ! He had been kept in confinement 
since 1836. His name was Preston Oakley, and he was among 
those who were supposed to have perished in the hills of Coahuila, 
after the escape of himself and party from Salado. He had been 
picked up by a ranchero, in an unconscious state, produced from 
thirst and hunger, and after recovering was placed in the mines at 
Lake Cayman, where he had remained in the bowels of the earth 
until last February, at which time, suffering the almost dying ag- 
onies incident to a broken constitution, he was brought to this 
den of vice and misery, for the purpose of recovering health and 
strength, to enable him to resume his labors. His sight, which 
he had entirely lost, in the deep, dark caverns, had not yet been 
wholly restored, and his pale features looked as if they had robbed 
the spirit-land of half its ghastliness. Ten years without a sylla- 
ble of intelligence in regard to the fate of his comrades, or from 
his home, his joy at meetkig us may be appreciated only by those 
who have passed through like adventures. The circumstances by 
which we ourselves were surrounded, and the unknown future that 
had yet to reveal our destiny, awoke at once our sympathy, and 
inspired us with a deep interest in the history of his sufferings, 
which, as he recounted, his lean, skinny hand would wipe an oc- 
casional tear from his cadaverous cheek. It was long before he 
had concluded his succession of inquiries. Sunk in the deep de- 
pression of despondency, he had no hope of ever returning to his 
native land ; and he earnestly implored us, in the event of our re- 
lease, to inform his friends where and in what condition we had 
met him, and that he should soon be beyond the reach of oppression. 

On the succeeding day, after breakfast, which was served on a 
long deal table, stretched across the room, with rude benches on 
either sii'e, we began to tax our philosophy to invent some means 
of occupying the time. We endeavored to bury the realities of 
the present, by imagining ourselves in the "halls of the Montezu- 
mas ;" but the groups of the haggard shadows of humanity, which 
gathered around us, forbade such a conclusion, and we finally sat 
down in our tattered and unfashionable garbs, while young Oakley 
pointed out some of the prominent characters, and gave us such 
information relative to them as had come to his own knowledge. 

Near the chimney was a miserable, dwarfish-looking old man, 
wrapped in a blanket as venerable as himself, reading, or rather 
spelling, a hymn book, which had been given him by one of the 
priests, who are always about the prisons of Mexico. He had been 
arrested for stealing g^oats from a neighbor, and was awaiting his 
trial. On the opposite side, three men, each of whom was heavily 
ironed, were walking to and fro. At every step their fetters rung 
4 



38 donnavan's adventures 

on each other, and the regularity of their paces, produced a dull, 
monotonous sound, as sad as the groans which may be imagined 
to proceed from the prison caverns of the damned. They had 
been condemned for burglary, a crime, although entirely fashiona- 
ble, punishable with death, when committed on the property of 
the rich and influential. They seemed wholly unconscious of the 
presence of any other persons in the room. In their actions might 
be traced a bitter feeling of remorse — not repentance of their 
crimes — but regret that ihey had been reduced to this helpless 
and hopeless condition. A rather superior character to these crim- 
inals was a Frenchman, who sat near us. His mind had, to a cer- 
tain degree, been refined by education and travel, and he conversed 
fluently in the English and Spanish, as well as French. His 
crime consisted in a refusal or neglect to observe a due degree of 
deference to the requisitions of the church ordinances. In a state 
of feverish anxiety, he was expostulating with himself, upon the 
injustice of his detention, and the impossibility of further punish- 
ment. • 

While engaged in curious speculations, and thinking what strange 
lessons of the human heart were to be learned in a school like this, 
we saw a woman enter the prison, dressed in a splendid, but some- 
what awkward manner. She was.approaching a handsome featured 
young man, who was engaged in writing a letter at the further end 
of the table. She hung over him, as if whispering words of conso- 
lation and deliverance, and when she looked up, I recognized that 
" dangerous gift of beauty " wliich had lured so many of her sex to 
the most fatal destruction. The appearance of these two persons, 
in this place of unmixed wretchej^ness, and among people on whom 
privations and confinement had fixed their hard and degrading 
stamp, formed a distressing contrast. The young man was of pure" 
Spanish blood, and had been an artist — respectable in his profes- 
sion. He had long been pursuing a dishonest course, and being 
finally detected in counterfeiting, was condemned to deaih. The 
female had shared his short-lived prosperity, and now with a rare 
fidelity, clave to him in his lost and fallen fortunes, when all the 
world beside had abandoned him. This instance of the power of 
that passion which rules the world, struck me as being infinitely 
more remarkable than many of those proofs of female aflection 
which are cited as heroic. 

Here were two persons whose lives had been base and profligate 
to the last degree — that of the woman too vile to think upon — 
and yet that holy and purifying passion, which neither vice, nor 
crime, nor misery could extinguish, now seemed, as it were, to 
triumph over all. And in the very hour, when it was the turn of 
the most hateful qualities to have uncontrolled sway — when every 
inducement, even the opinion of the world — of that world by 

i 



I r 

IN MEXlieO. * 39 



I i 



which both had been abandoned — was in favor of her deserting 
the man, she was impelled, by the unaided, irresistible power of 
her affections, to comfort his hapless wretchedness ; to stfip herself 
of all she possessed to lighten the burdens of a wicked soul that 
was about to be denied a frail habitatior| upon the earth — and 
this, too, for a man whose claims upon h^ affection, if they could 
have been estimated, were probably, as such men's claims mostly 
are, less than that which he would have had upon a brute, destitute 
of reason ! That intelligent and virtuous fenjales know no limits 
in their exertions for men whom they love,''e;]^ites no wonder, for 
it is the result of sincere, ardent, and pure afechment ; but that a 
woman, divested of the most estimable attri||utes of her sex, de- 
graded in mind and in person, regarded by the l^etter part of society 
as an anomaly — a monster, belonging to neilHer sex, but the re- 
proach of both — that she should, in the depth '^bf hfer debasement, 
practice, and in one instance, at least, feel the same devoted virtue 
which would have added dignity to the most exalted of women — 
that she should do this, jvith a disinterestedness which admits of 
no doubt ; for the object of her love was a wrenched criminal, 
whose days were numbered, and whose name was Vwedded to dis- 
grace and contempt — this is what excited my astonishment, and the 
highest veneration for the passion which can work such wonders. 



" The treasures of the deep are not so precious 
As are the concealed comforts of a man, 
Locked up in woman's love !" 



CHAPTER V- 









Release from Prison at Monclova — Punishment of Criminals — ^dv<in<^pf 
Gtn. ffool's Arm,}i — Our departure for Zacatecas — Mexican Expre^es^— 
Pnrras — JVovel Funeral procession — Burial of a Muchacha — Lake of 
Parras — Rio Grande de Parras — Diet — Musquitos — Degradation: vf -^j* 
Females — Implemfnts of Husbandry — Jin Indian City — Indian Fortifi.m-' * ?' 
tions — Indian Women — Captured by the Indians — Crossing a River i— 
Attempt to Escape — Drowning of a Ranchero — Towns and Cities — Fres- 
nillo — Catholic Procession — Arrival at Zacatecas. 

There are tragedies in real life, which, but for their every-day 
occurrence, would penetrate men's souls deeper than all the fabled 
woes that poets ever yet imagined. They consist of that war i/'A 
which crime is ever waging upon the dark sou! of its victim; and 1 3 
it is revolting to be compelled to gaze upon sorrows one has not-" | 
the means to alleviate — still more humiliating to endure privations . -| 
he has no power to avenge. During the brief term of five days' • 



40 donnavan's adventures 

confinement within the gloomy walls of the prison at Monclova, 
among criminals condemned to die, I received impressions which 
years will not suffice to obliterate. It is impossible to contem- 
plate, without the deepest pain, spectacles of degradation, which 
there became " familiar as household words." Laying aside the 
enormity of their crimes and the justice of their punishment, the 
discipline of a Mexican prison and the tortured agony of its in- 
mates are enough to paralyze the cold and rigid sensibilities of a 
Siberian serf. As I would sit and contemplate this mass of con- 
scious helplessness and misery, my mind would naturally translate 
itself to my own country, and indulge in comparisons. I thought 
what a glorious field here presented itself for the benevolent pur- 
poses of Miss Dix, whose disinterested efforts to restrain the rig- 
orous discipline of the prisons of the United States, have made 
many a penitent heart glad. But the melancholy history of un- 
fortunate Mexico, records rare examples of pure and elevated vir- 
tue, combined with accomplishments like hers. Indeed, had 
" Solomon, in all his glory." lived out his days there, his remark — 
" who can find a virtuous woman ? — her price is far above ru- 
bies !" — would doubtless have been esteemed as profound as in 
his own Oriental land. 

The establishment of no penitentiary system is authorized by 
the penal code of Mexico. Capital punishment is frequently in- 
flicted " by authority," for the most trivial ofTences ; but when the 
crime of the transgressor does not merit such severity, the laws 
condemn him to serve in the army, for a certain period of time, 
stipulated in accordance with the enormity of his offence. Thus, 
the position of a soldier in the defence of his own soil, which is 
every where else an honor, is there rendered a disgrace. The 
law's delay is often more annoying to the criminal than satisfying' 
the ends of justice. In the capital of each province is a prison 
resembling that at Monclova, in all of which men are frequently 
confined twenty years, without trial, conviction, or sentence. 

No sooner had the rumor of Gen. Wool's approach towards 
Monclova reached the ears of our captors, than we were imme- 
diately released from our inhospitable abode, with a hope that we 
should not only find better quarters, but more agreeable compan- 
ions. We soon learned, however, that owing to the rapid ad- 
vance of the American army, we had the high prerogative of ad- 
vancing before them, and were compelled, at once, to take up the 
line of march towards Parras, with a fair prospect of a pedestrian 
excursion to Zacatccas, four hundred and forty-five miles further 
into the interior. The authorities at Monclova received intelli- 
gence of the advance of Gen. Wool, three days before his arrival ; 
and it is a remarkable fact that, although their facilities seem to 
be inferior, they always manage to compete with us in despatch- 



IN MEXICO. 41 

ing an express. This may be attributed to the fact that the law 
authorizes the rider to supply himself with a fresh mule or mus- 
tang, at every rancho, if necessary, and to always take the fleetest. 

In less than four days after our departure, we reached Parras, a 
distance of one hundred and forty-three miles from Monclova. 
This was " walking Spanish," with a degree of expedition which 
would do credit to the efforts of Gildersleive, or any other pedes- 
trian. On the night preceding our arrival in town, we remained 
at the rancho of Don Manuel Ibarra. The Don, with his brother, 
and several other citizens of the town, had been educated at Bards- 
town, Ky., and conversed remarkably well in English. Besides 
being quite civilized himself, he entertained us in a civilized man- 
ner ; and his wine came near raising our independence so far 
above zero, as to burst our chains, and declare in favor of the 
" largest liberty." He asked many questions about Bardstown, 
and seemed to revert, with peculiar relish, to the place of his 
schoolboy haunts ; and while he made no effort to restrain his indig- 
nation at seeing us hand-cuffed, he offered no substantial relief. 

Parras is a perfect paradise of a place. It is celebrated for the 
extensive vineyards, which spread out in every direction from its 
vicinity, and for its manufacture of wines, pulque, muscal, and ar- 
diente. The streets were all clean and in good repair, while in 
every door, and at every window, beautiful senoras and senoritas 
made their appearance, who did not suppress their feelings of 
deep commiseration, as we passed. It was some high-church day 
among the natives, and observed as a fete. The streets were 
thronged with Mexicans — men, women, and children, all of whom 
appeared to have been washed and dressed up for once in their 
natural lives, at least. In the morning, before we arrived, there 
had been a grand and im.posing procession, and during the remain- 
ing portion of the day, there was a general cavorting or vamosing 
through the streets. Those of their soldiers who had participated 
in the battle of Monterey, had returned, under the weight of the 
laurels they had won in that bloody conflict, and were warmly ap- 
plauded by the priests and ignorant officials, who seem to regard 
every engagement as a victory, however fatal to them the fortunes 
of the day. 

All nations have their different customs, just as all individuals 
have their distinguishing characteristics ; and in a strange country, 
to a stranger, both are often interesting. In the evening, we wit- 
nessed a most novel ceremony. It was the occasion of the burial 
of a muchacha, a small female child. The excitement created by 
the fete, had been the means of collecting together a large assem- 
blage ; so that the public places were all filled to overflowing, 
and our caravan, " horse, foot, and dragoons," experienced much 

difficulty in finding a place of entertainment. While sauntering 
4* 



42 DONNAVAn's ADVENTUiiES 

through the streets, under the vigilant eyes of our haughty masters, 
our attention was first arrested by the sight of a priest, clad in a 
white robe ornamented with various emblems pertaining to the Cath- 
olic church, coming out of the cathedral, preceded by four small 
boys, in their scarlet under-robes, and white mantles, each bearing 
a candle branch ; while the dolefully discordant ringing of the 
bells apprised us that something unusual was on the tapis. They 
had not proceeded far till the priest entered a small house, around 
which had assembled a number of males and females. Our ears 
were soon saluted by an unearthly sound, which the natives dig- 
nify with the name of music, but which if Shakspeare meant 
should move all who were fit for nought but " treasons, stratagems, 
and spoils," he was quite mistaken. The sound was produced by 
three fiddles, and a venerable-looking individual with a large vio- 
loncello, each playing a distinct and separate tune, if tunes they 
might be called, and accompanied by several voices, in an unintel- 
ligible chant. While this novel performance was going on within, 
three men without were engaged in throwing small rockets, which 
exploded, making a report as loud as that of a pistol. It was not 
long till the padre and altar boys came out, preceded by the mu- 
sicians, and followed by the corpse, borne on the shoulders of four 
men. The bier was composed of a short, rough box, having an 
upright cross at the head, shrouded with white muslin, and cov- 
ered with a profusion of artificial flowers, and other ornaments, 
tastefully arranged. At the top of the bier was a dingy brown 
figure, about two feet in length, enveloped in a velvet robe, deco- 
rated with gold and silver tinsel, and upon its head a bright brass 
crown, confining a mass of long, raven hair. The hands of the 
figure were clasped closely over the breast, and presented, as did 
the features, the appearance of wax. From the house, the funeral- 
procession, which was small, proceeded to the church, where 
we presume the service was performed by the priest. At least the 
fiddling and chanting soon ceased, and the procession came out. 
The body was then conveyed about half a mile, to a consecrated 
burial ground, unaccompanied by the priest, but still preceded by 
the fiddlers, and men with the rockets. Our captors, whether in 
respect to the deceased, or from a sense of religious duty, all 
joined in the procession, and we were also required to accompany 
them. Before arriving at the graveyard, it was necessary to 
ascend a hill, at the base of which all the paraphernalia was left. 
Here, to our surprise, that which we had all considered a wax 
figure, sacred to the memory of the Virgin of Gaudaloupe, and 
which I have described, was the body of the poor little infant it- 
self, whose soul had been transported to heaven, there to join its 
purer kindred spirits. 

A strange tradition is connected with the history of the imagi- 



IN MEXICO. 43 

nary Virgin of Gaudaloupe, and the annual festivals which are held 
in honor of her first appearance. The natives contend that she 
first introduced herself to an Indian shepherd, in the early con- 
quest of Mexico by the Spaniards, and commanded him, " in the 
name of Mary, the mother of God," to summon the bishop to her 
presence. The bishop refused to attend until satisfactory evidence 
was produced that the shepherd had not conjured up an imaginary 
vision to deceive him — after which he erected a magnificent 
church on the spot where she had first appeared to the Indian — 
and the anniversary of the day is yet observed as one of their 
holiest holidays. A wax figure of full size, representing the vir- 
gin, is often used on funeral occasions, which led us to an erro- 
neous conclusion on this. The funeral obsequies of the child 
were brief, and I could not help remarking that there was no 
apparent expression of sorrow or regret among the friends, but it 
seemed to be more an occasion for rejoicing. A number of the 
Mexicans who mingled in the procession, perhaps from motives 
of curiosity, appeared highly pleased at seeing American s|3ecta- 
tors present, and one of them asked me if I did not think it mucho 
bueno — meaning, very beautiful ! 

Parras contains about fifteen thousand inhabitants; it is located 
near the line, but within the limits of the province of Coahuila. 
Some distance from the city, on the west, is a beautiful lake bear- 
ing the same name, and the waters of which strve to irrigate the 
grounds for miles in circumference. We had remained in the 
city till the afternoon of the day succeeding our arrival, and after 
our departure, encamped for the njght upon the banks of this 
lake, which is over thirty miles in length, and varying in width 
from five to twelve miles. It was sunset when we sat down at 
the end of our day's journey, and the dark blue hills in the neigh- 
borhood looked like chains of amethysts in a golden setting. The 
placid waters faithfully mirrored back the beautiful vision, only as 
with a light gauzy veil breathed over it. There were orange 
groves of no ideal kind ; and the perfumes of odoriferous gums 
filled the atmosphere. Acacia shrubs, interwoven with wild lilac 
and blue-colored parasite, flourished on the banks, whose refresh- 
ing fragrance seemed infinitely richer than the breath of spring 
in our own fields and woods, during the fairest season of the year. 
The delusion was enough to make us forget the gloom which 
gathered round our own destiny, till the wild doves upon the palm 
branches, in all their native liberty set up their mournful, melan- 
choly notes. Montezuma hens were gathered in clusters upon the 
banks, and a variety of water-fowl, some marble white, others 
raven black, were chirping out their monotonous evening songs. 
Large flocks of pelicans were floating over the lake, and occa- 
sionally the heron with his heavy-flapping wings, would agitate 



44 donnavan's adventures 

the bosom of the clear blue waters — for the birds in Mexico, like 
every thing else, animate or inanimate, are supplied with horns 
After the sun had entirely sunk behind the Pacific, on his diuinal 
course to enlighten the opium eaters of the Celestial Empire, the 
evening glow faded away, but a still softer radiance came to clothe 
the pale mountains with rosy tints. The shining stars had risen, 
looking out like angel's eyes upon the lake, with none of that 
glimmering, as if they trembled with cold, which is seen in our 
clear winter nights. Their bright shadows were mirrored in the 
lovely lake, across whose silvery flood pueblas floated in their 
rude gondolas, as if between two heavens. Along the banks life 
was stirring. Fires were burning at the hearths, before the doors 
of the huts of the rancheros ; flocks of bleating sheep and goats 
were moving homeward ; and the barking of smooth, hairless 
dogs, the singing of men, and shouting of children, swelled the 
concert, and served to beguile- the hours of a sleepless night. 

For several consecutive days, our route continued along the 
bank of the Rio Grande de Parras, (Grand river of Parras,) the 
waters of which flow into this lake ; son)e nights stopping at ran- 
cheros and haciendas, others in the woods, with no shelter but 
the dark blue roof of the world. At the rancheros we found an 
addition to the usual diet in the shape of wild fowls, often well 
cooked, and whose carcasses we demolished with a decided relish. 
An improvement was also perceptible in the appearance of many 
of the women, whose pretty faces we could not well avoid look- 
ing at, and who, although they were rather shy and inclined to 
shun us at first, would generally approach us without much sign 
of fear, before we left. The picturesque grouping of the man- 
grove and banana, to say nothing of the palm so abundant on 
the banks of this river, could not but excite our admiration. But^ 
it is seldom we experience a pleasing sensation unalloyed with 
something of the portentous or opposite ; and while enjoying the 
incofnparable beauty of this Mexican river, we were not only 
annoyed with an oft returning sense of wrongs inflicted by human 
hands, but by swarms of sand flies, and broods of musquitos, of 
the largest size, and keenest bills, the loudest singers, and sharp- 
est biters in the universe. Their's is no guerilla warfare, but a 
bold, manly attack in front. The fatigues of a hard day's jour- 
ney was no security against one of their charges, and even the 
tough-skinned Mexicans were not impervious to their assualts — 
notwithstanding Poco Llama had proved himself constitutionally 
opposed to settling bills. We may talk as we will about the 
beautiful skies of Mexico, her balmy gales, and the gaiety of land- 
scape, which can hardly be conceived in less sunny climes — it 
will fascinate the imagination, but will not shield us from the bar- 
barous cruelty of her musquitos — they are the reality of the 



IN MEXICO. 45 

romance, and dispel the brightest illusions by their sanguinary 
onslaughts. 

Near a viUage or hacienda, called Punta Velascos, in the prov- 
ince of Zacatecas, we witnessed a spectacle which, to the credit 
of the Mexican people, is by no means a common one. Repulsive 
as some of their customs are, we were not prepared for a scene 
of barbarism like this. We actually saw a number of females, 
harnessed like cattle, to the plough, dragging it through the soil, 
while men were lounging in the furrows, lazily swinging at the 
handles. Women were here emphatically degraded to the drudge 
of life, and it was enough to make the heart i)leed to look upon 
the burdens they were compelled to bear. There is no affecta- 
tion or sentimentality in this — it is a plain, but lamentable fact, 
which we were happy to find staring us in the face at only this one 
place during our progress through the provinces. 

The ploughs and other instruments of husbandry, used by the 
natives, were such as to excite our curiosity. They are all con- 
structed of wood, with the bare exceptions of the pick and crow- 
bar, which are pointed with iron. A Mexican plough is nothing 
more nor less than the fork of a small tree, the one prong of 
which, being sharpened, serves for the share, while the other is 
extended as a beam — with a pole or handle attached to the 
crotch, and you have completed the celebrated implement which 
furrowed out the fame of Cincinnatus himself. We learned that 
the " peacock," and other patterns of the improved plough, had 
at different times been introduced there, but rejected as " Yankee 
notions." 

Between Parras and St. Catharina, we encountered several dif- 
ferent Indian tribes, the first of which was the Yaquis, a small 
tribe, all of whom reside in a city called Yaqui, the population 
of which amounts to perhaps four or five thousand. The features 
and general appearance of these people bear a closer resemljlance 
to the European or Anglo-Saxon race, than do those of the Mex- 
icans. Docile and timid in their habits, they support themselves 
by agriculture, and cultivate extensive fields of Indian corn and 
potatoes in the neighborhood of their city. Their buildings are 
all one story high, constructed of unburnt brick; and those of 
each square consist of one solid block, all the rooms being in 
direct communication with each other. There are four streets 
diverging from the centre, where stands, upon a high eminence, 
a teniple dedicated to the sun. These streets divide the city into 
four distinct squares, or districts, each of which has its own muni- 
cipal regulations. The whole presents a rather commanding ap- 
pearance, and is certainly creditable to the taste and ingenuity of 
its aboriginal projectors. This tribe long since absolved all alle- 



-46 donnavan's adventures 

giance to Mexican authority — rejecting not only their govern- 
ment, but religion, and will permit neither their priests nor civil 
dignitaries to come among them. Their manner of worship con- 
sists of the same forms and ceremonies as did that of the ancient 
Aztecs, with the exception of the sacrifices. They have ceased 
to immolate themselves upon the altar, probably from the fact that 
their race is nearly extinct. The history of this tribe is marked 
by repeated acts of the most cruel oppression. About thirty years 
ago they were all driven from their homes, and fled to the extreme 
north of the province of Sinoloa, where they founded a more ex- 
tensive colony, and where a great portion of the tribe yet remains. 
Those who now compose the population of Yaqui, are such as 
were impelled to return, through the influence of that yearning, 
instinctive love for their native land, which is, to some extent, in- 
herent in the breast of the whole human family; and which so 
attaches them to their early homes, that neither outrage nor op- 
pression can drive them hence. Not only have they been assailed, 
plundered, and murdered by the Mexicans, but their honest labors 
are taxed to support another more barbarous and savage tribe, 
called the Tarenechas, w[io annually rob them of a great portion 
of their substance. 

The Tarenechas are a hostile and heathen tribe, a number of 
whom are to be found among the soldiers of the Mexican army, 
and particularly in the guerrilla parties ; which entitles them to 
some favorable consideration from the government. Our route 
lay directly through their town or fort, which is on the bank of 
the Rio Grande de Parras, not far from the source of that river. 
The fort extends from the river bank to the top of a high hill, 
the country behind which is inaccessible, and altogether, com- 
mands a grand and enchanting prospect. The fortifications en- 
circled the summit of the hill, and consisted of an enclosure of 
high palisadoes, firmly and closely secured ; within this there was 
a thick, broad hedge, rendered impenetrable by the matting of 
ivy, junipers, briars, and other sorts of copse. These circular bar- 
riers had but two entrances, and within them stood the wigwams, 
forming another circle, with an intervening space of a most beau- 
tiful, verdant lawn, between them and the fortification. 'J'hey 
appeared like a circle of arbors, constructed of young trees, 
twisted together and bent to unite in the form of a cone or dome, 
at the top, and so ingeniously covered with bark, and often in 
more elegant style with mats made of reeds, as to be dry and 
comfortable. An orifice at the top emitted the smoke of the fire, 
in the centre of each, presenting a life-like and domestic, specta- 
cle. A grand circular area within the whole, was used as exigence 
required. In the evenings, the young met in it, and joined in the 
festive dance. During the day, it was a gymnasinm, for athletic 



IN MEXICO. 47 

feats of activity and strength, and exercises in arms and combat. 
On more important occasions, it was the forum of counsellors, 
who met to dispense justice, and regulate the affairs of the tribe. 
An elevated mound in the centre of all, seemed to be a kind of 
observatory, from which arose a tall, straight pole, surmounted by 
a bull's head. 

But we found the prospective far more charming than the place 
itself. The nearer we approached, the encliantment of its rural 
elegance was dispelled. The filth cast out before the doors of 
the wigwams, rose up in putrifying heaps. These corrupting olTals 
disgusted alike the eyes and olfactories of all but the Indians. In 
the sunny space, the young Indians, like groups of grumphing 
quadrupeds, had crawled together in a state of primitive naked- 
ness. Not yet able to walk, they sprawled and sported together, 
with that degree of careless indolence a voluptuous clime inspires. 
Their hair, which in riper years is jet black, was blanched ; and 
the red color of their plump physiognomies was considerably 
heightent d by exposure to the influence of a tropical sun. A rup- 
ture finally ensued among these little varlets, which soon called the 
squaws from their wigwams, and who came dashing like furies into 
the group. Each plucked her particular charge from the uproari- 
ous heap, and tossing it over her brawny shoulders, screamed in 
concert with the shriller pipes, raised to the highest key, of the 
outrage! and inquiring urchin. The squaws, whom we learned 
were seldom on the most amicable footing with each other, kindling 
with the supposed injuries sustained by their respective pappooses, 
now turned the strife actively towards each other ; and the juve- 
niles clung to their mothers' backs, grinning, and spitting wrath, 
as their guardians pulled each other's hair, and fought with nails 
and fists, till a number lay routed on the ground. Such clamor 
in the camp, seemed to be no usual thing, and called for the inter- 
ference of several warriors, who soon calmed the tempest. The 
shafts of their lances flourished about the dislievelled heads of the 
insurgents like forked lightening ; and battered and routed, the 
whole female force find, growling and whining under their wounds, 
to the interior of their hovels. This insurrection brought to the 
doors of their wigwams, several feeble, infirm, and superannuated 
old fellows, who looked like candidates for " the hunting grounds 
above." Their heads were hoary and bald. Though emaciated 
and withered, they were not bowed and bent like our veteran 
mechanics and laborers, but straight as rushes ; and through their 
furrowed, wrinkled, smoke-bleared features, much of the Indian 
manly expression might be discerned. 

While all these things were transpiring, a crowd, headed by the 
sachems, had assembled around us, and to our surprise, taken our 
captors captive ; while they stared at us, with as much amazement 



48 donnavan's adventures 

as if we had just dropped from the moon, or Le Verrier's riew 
planet. After learning the character of. our captors, and the na- 
ture of their mission, a brief deliberation at the council-fires, resulted 
in permitting us all to pass on, unmolested ; not, however, till after 
we had dined with the Indians, who feasted us on bean soup, and 
the meat of a venerable mustang, that, had a coroner's inquest been 
held over his defunct carcass, the verdict would have been, " came 
to his death from abstemious habits," While engaged in discussing 
the soup, for we did not feel inclined to disturb the dry bones of a 
" dead horse," our attention was drawn to a scene of another de- 
scription. It was the youth of the tribe, just returning from a 
pillaging excursion, with three other ill-fated prisoners. The con- 
querors of Parthia, on their triumphal entry, could not have felt or 
expressed higher exultation. They had burned and destroyed three 
families of Zamboos, whose scalps they had brought on long poles, 
to grace their pageantry. The prisoners which they brought with 
them, after promising to become initiated into the tribe, had been 
permitted to survive. This was a youthful feat, worthy the fame 
of their choicest warriors, and in which they exulted with the en- 
thusiastic warmth of youth. Though their features were of a 
hsavy symmetry -^— all of a dark bronze color, some shades lighter 
than their jet, bushy hair, yet the fire of the soul animated the 
dark, round countenance with the highest marks of expression. 
Their large eyes seemed kindled ; and the compressed lips, dis- 
tended nostrils, and glistening ray that radiated and burst from 
their visages, exhibited the native energy of Indian character, which 
indolence and want of cultivation had combined to suppress. A 
shout burst from the midst of them. It was responded to by the 
young Indian females hastening to meet them. The warriors joined 
in the deafening acclamation, and the fort rung with praise and 
triumph. As we retreated from the enclosure, they commenced a 
kind of fandango, or war dance, and it was long before their shouts 
of revelry died upon our ears. 

Passing on through the old military and missionary station of St. 
Catharina, we crossed the Rio Grande de Parras, near Sombrerete, 
in a novel looking ferry-boat, made something after the fashion of 
an " Ohio broadhorn." Our passage was purposely delayed till the 
ferry-boat made her last trip, while six of the company were left to 
guard us. This was the first stream of any importance we had 
encountered during our journey, and apprised that we were to cross 
it, we had already concerted an attempt to escape. Being good 
swimmers, although our arms were confined behind us, we resolved 
to j'lmp overheard, which resolution was carried into effect soon 
after the boat was pushed into the current. Q,uite unexpectedly, 
three of the Mexicans plunged in after us, one of whom went to 
the bottom to rise no more. Througli the excitement, and by the 
unlooked for rapidity of the current, I was carried a half mile be- 



IN MEXICO. 49 

low, to the opposite shore, where those of the party who had pre- 
viously crossed, were awaiting my arrival. As they threw a lasso 
over my head, they laughed heartily at the futility of any effort we 
might make to escape. My companions, (Mr. Cunningham and 
Dr. Barry,) swam to the other shore, but were pursued by the 
guerillas on mustangs, and soon retaken. They made no effort to 
rescue the body of the drowned Mexican, but passed on to Som- 
brerete with the utmost indifTerence in regard to his fate. Consid- 
erably refreshed by this immersion, we set ofi' on the ensuing 
morning for Fresnillo, over the best road and through the best cul- 
tivated region we had yet looked upon in Mexico. 

A most striking difference exists between the manner of their 
population and that of the United States. From a variety of causes, 
— such as scarcity of water and timber as a means of defence 
against the banditti, and the existence of mineral resources, which 
constitute the chief wealth of the country, Mexico sustains nearly 
her entire population in the towns and cities, all of which will be 
found much larger than an American would be apt to anticipate. 
While in the country, instead of encountering farms or villages at 
almost every turn in the road, one will not unfrequenily travel three 
days without seeing even a temporary habitation. Few of the 
towns in the interior and mining districts, contain a population of 
less than ten thousand, some as high as sixty thousand ; and all 
having a number of churches, which are universally constructed in 
the Gothic style of architecture. 

Fresnillo, within thirty miles of Zacatecas, contains a population 
of twelve thousand. Its neighboring scenery is rich and diversi- 
fied ; and its numerous gardens, luxuriant herbage, and fertile 
fields, serve to render it one of those paradises, on a small scale, 
which so abound in Mexico. Our arrival in the place was just a 
time to witness the closing scene of another grand Catholic proces- 
sion, in honor of some of the saints — we did not inquire who. 
Many of the streets through which the procession had passed, were 
yet green with pine leaves, while across them, overhead, were 
arches of evergreens, variegated with flowers of different hues. 
As is usual on such occasions, all the church ornaments were con- 
spicuously displayed at different parts of the city, and the windows 
of the wealthiest portion of the inhabitants richly decorated with 
crimson curtains and silk flags of the most costly materials. 

On the following day we had a comparatively easy march, over a 
broad, well-constructed road, to Zacatecas. Added to this favora- 
ble circumstance, the prospect of approaching the end of our long 
journey, a very perceptible change for the better began to manifest 
itself in our feelings. Our condition was melancholy enough, and 
although we had little reason to hope for improvement, we knew 
that new cruelties could not well be inflicted — for we were almost 
5 



50 donnavan's adventures 

ready to welcome death itself, as a relief from an existence offering 
so little charm f«)r the future. Our clothes were so tattered and 
torn into shreds and strings, as to expose the bare skin to the burn- 
ing sun ; while at every ventilation, a blister of the same dimensions 
obtruded itself into the very face of the sun's rays — so the ele- 
ments themselves appeared to conspire io draw us into fresh afflic- 
tions. As for boots or shoes, they had long since been dispensed 
with — their term of service having expired, not by virtue of limi- 
tation, but the performance of extra service. With bare feet and 
legs, lacerated and bleeding, and our physical energies almost ex- 
hausted after a jaunt of nearly five hundred miles, we entered the 
gates of Zacatecas on the evening of the 7th of November, de- 
pressed even more from anxiety to learn our final fate, than from 
what we had already endured. 



CHAPTER YI. 

Zacatecas — Peace Parly — Amtrican Cilizens — Their HospilalUy — Our Re- 
lease — Contemplated Rttum — A Mexican JLditor. 

Aroused from our slumbers early on the morning after our arri- 
val in Zacatecas, we looked out upon its broad streets with new 
impulses. Situated in the beautiful valley of the Santander river, 
the towermg peaks of Siena Madre, with their rich and hidden 
treasures, seem to look down upon the city with a kind of paternal 
significance. As if limning on her largest scale, nature has here 
made all her figures bold and colossal — all her features prominent 
and strongly marked. 

Zacatecas, the capital of the province of the same name, was by 
far the largest place we had yet entered, during our progress 
through the country. It contains twenty thousand inhal)itants, with 
well paved streets, and tasteful buildings. Its population is com- 
posed, not alone of the Spanish and Mexican races, but is mixed 
with a number of French, English, and Americans, and whose im- 
provements, instead of being confined to chemical developments 
and the pursuits of trade, are convulsing the moral and political 
state of the country. A more enlightened feeling here pervaded, 
than in any other portion we had visited. The inert mass of the 
province had advanced at least one step beyond their neighbors, in 
feeling and asserting their importance. Perhaps it was the influ- 
ence of example — this schooling of their dormant spirits — yet 
^lere seemed really to exist half an inclination to enter the palace 
of the Belshazzars, and write admonitions on the walls. The still 



IN MEXICO. 51 

small voice of popular rights which found utterance at the corn- 
menceinent of the Texan revolution, had not died away, but was 
yet audible, and almost ready to burst in thundering intonations. 
It will be recollected that in the struggle between the Centralists 
and Federalists, when Texas boldly led off, the province of Zaca- 
tecas joined in what was denounced as a rebellion. Her people 
were soon overwhelmed, however, by Santa Anna and his army, 
and subdued. Since that period, the most inveterate hatred of 
Santa Anna has existed among all the population, except perhaps, 
the priests and officers of the Central government. A peace party, 
numbering among its mem.bers many native citizens of influence 
and wealth, Americans and other foreigners, residing there, existed 
at the time of our arrival. This party was awaiting with much 
anxiety the appearance of Gen. Taylor and his army, whose ad- 
vance upon the place was then daily anticipated. This gave to 
the Americans a degree of confidence and assurance, which, under 
other circumstances, they would not have dared to avow. Having 
heard of our arrival and almost perishing condition, a deputation of 
them, led by Dr. Hetzel, formerly a resident of Missouri, came to 
oui quarters, and demanded an interview with us in private. This 
was at first peremptorily refused. Confined and guarded, as we 
were, within a room on the second floor of the meson, we looked 
down upon the mob, which was fast accumulating, with peculiar 
sensations — with thatminglingof hope and fear which so strangely 
thrills the breast, at the evident approach of a crisis in one's des- 
tiny. We could not be mistaken in distinguishing among the crowd 
the faces of some of our own countrymen — for the Yankee never 
fails to betray his identity — yet we knew nothing of their strength 
or sjMrit, and could not even wish them to make a demonstration 
in our behalf, engaged as the two countries were, in hostilities. 
They would thus forfeit their own claims to protection, and render 
their own persons andproperty liable to seizure. Their purpose 
was soon accomplished, however, without any manifestation of 
violence. The mob growing stronger, momentarily, our captors, 
at first at a loss what course to pursue, soon settled upon the more 
prudent policy of admitting them ; and upon witnessing the feeling 
displayed in our favor, with all the semblance of magnanimity, they 
offered to relinquish their claims upon our persons ! 

After briefly relating to our deliverers the manner in which we 
had been captured, and the history of the wrongs to which we had 
been subjected, indisputable evidences of which were deeply en- 
graven upon our persons, we were conducted to the private and 
comfortable apartments of Dr. Hetzel. To the kind hospitality of 
our countryman we were not only indebted for all the means by 
which to recruit our physical energies, and revive our jaded spirits, 
but for a complete revolution in our wardrobe. 



52 donnavan's adventures 

All again comfortably clad, and decidedly improved, both in 
appearance and habits, we began to feel a strong inclination to 
return to our homes and country. But our proposition to depart 
for Saltillo, a distance of nearly two hundred miles, and where the 
American army under Gen. Taylor was then stationed, received 
nocountenance among those to whom we owed our release and lib- 
erty. Indeed, the new dangers to which we should have been ex- 
posed, in the absence of an escort, rendered the contemplated 
expedition a most perilous one, and it required no effort of elo- 
quence on the part of our new, but sincere friends, to induce us to 
remain and partake of their tendered hospitalities, until the 
advance of the American army should open a line of safe commu- 
nication to the Rio Grande. 

And we were by no means troubled with ennui at Zaca- 
tecas. The severe lessons of adversity we had learned in captivity, 
taught us, more than ever, how to appreciate the blessings of liberty. 
Besides this, every attention calculated to make our sojourn agree- 
able was bountifully bestowed. We were introduced to a number 
of the citizens, male and female, many of whom we found both 
intelligent and agreeable. Among them was Leandro Cabos, editor 
of the " Heraldo," the only newspaper printed in the city, and 
that a most decided advocate for peace. The editor expressed his 
sentiments in a manly and independent manner, and did not hesi- 
tate to avow, both publicly and privately, his predilection for 
" Yankee institutions." He not only refused to insert in his paper 
any thing favorable to Santa Anna and his parly, but would pub- 
lish conspicuously, all Gen. Taylor's orders which appeared in the 
least favorable to the Mexican people. We visited the mines, 
gardens, public buildings, besides several natural curiosities — 
observed the peculiar characteristics of the people, and altogether, 
saw and learned much that was to us new and novel. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Mexican opinion of Yankees — Buildings in Zncatecas — Customs — Merchants' 
Shops — Business — Auction Sales — Petty Thieves and their Punishment — 
Gambling; — Lotteries — Sunday Enlertainments — Churches — Cathedral and 
its Ornaments — Praying for a Husband — Bull Fights — Death of a Pica- 
dore — Cock Fighting — Fxtent of Silver Mines — Gold Dust — A'atural 
Cave — Geological Specimnis — Iron, Copper, and Coal Mines — Garden of 
Don Alonzo Gomeres — Huaco Plant, its appearance and discovery — Manu- 
factures in the City — Politics — Jose Maria Lafragua — Government — 
Cruelties of Santa Anna — Barbarous Execution of a Young Female. 

That mankind generally, and the Mexicans in particular, are 
strange and incomprehensible animals, is among the " fixed facts." 



IN MEXICO. 53 

From the highly cullivated Anglo-Saxon, down through the whole 
grade of anitnate naluro, to the blind and bigoted heathen of Hin- 
dostan, every one appears to be dissatisfied with his lot, and claims 
a better one ; while, at the same time, every one is apt to consider 
himself better, if not wiser, than any one else — at least, he obsti- 
nately prefers his own manners, diet, dress, and religion, to all 
others, and will laugh at or pity those who differ with him. 
Among all nations, as well as individuals, (except the Fiat-head 
Indians,) the organ of self-esteem is unchecked in its develop- 
ment — "in testimony whereof," the great mass of the Mexican 
people regard the sovereigns of the United States, just as the 
sovereigns of the United States regard them. We are free to de- 
nounce them as half-civilized cut-throais, and they retort by calling 
us adventurous barbarians ; while in either case, perhaps the epi- 
thets deserve to be modified. True, the people of the two nations 
differ as widely as the poles, in their habits, pursuits, and concep- 
tions of what constitutes refinement, yet many of tiiese differences, 
unimportant in the abstract, are the result of the prejudice of 
education. Unalteral)le as were my prepossessions — strong as 
my antipathies — [ have seldom been more favorably impressed 
with the appearance of any city, than I was after strolling through 
the l)road streets of Zacatecas. In many respects it will compare 
favorably with some of the large cities of the United States. The 
buildings are of all sizes, fashions, and colors, from one to three 
stories high, the greater portion of which are construc-ted in the 
old Spanish style, wiih a court-yard in the centre, which is often 
used as a stable. This makes a close neighborhood, and estab- 
lishes a familiarity between the inmates of the house and stable, 
on many accounts disagreeable, but neither the one class nor the 
other seem to mind it, for they appear to entertain the utmost 
respect for each other. There is one appendage about their bet- 
ter class of houses deserving praise above all others — the delight- 
ful balconies that almost universally grace them. To these is often 
added, on a level vith the first floor, a corridor or gallery, in which 
more airy situation the families spend the greater portion of their 
time, breakfasting, dining, or torturing some musical instrument, 
among which the guitar comes in for its full share of punishment. 
The doors and windows are on an extensive scale, the latter hav- 
ing neither sash nor glass, are filled with iron bars, through the 
broad interstices of which nothing but one's own sense of good 
breeding prevents liim from seeing what the family are about 
within. It is the fashion to arrange some half dozen chairs within, 
near the window, facing each other, where the company will sit 
gazing at, and talking to, each other with great vivacity. In pass- 
ing through the streets, innumerable groups of this kind may be 
seen, while elsewhere he may find them seated at a table playing 
5* 



54 donnavan's adventures 

monte, and often dancing, as if their salvation, like that of the 
shakers, depended on the exercise of their heels. 

The stores and shops of the city, which are for the most part 
under the supervision and control of females, appeared to be well 
supplied with every variety of foreign goods that had found their 
way in through the ports on the Pacific, previous to the blockade. 
Business was said to be dull, owing to the fact that stealing had 
greatly improved since the war ; and a number of the merchants 
were selling off at auction. At their auction sales a large forum 
is erected on the public square or plaza, in which a spear is fixed, 
surmounted by the Mexican colors. This is after the original 
Roman fashion, and the bidding is signified by holding up the fin- 
gers. The alcalde's permission is always necessary before the 
sale is confirmed. The forum is generally crowded with silver- 
smiths, or rather bankers' sliops, where the articles sold are regis- 
tered and sealed. By them the names of the buyers are noted, 
and the goods delivered under the authority of the alcalde. In 
this manner a semblance of the supremacy of law and order is 
kept up, while the small retail thieves seldom fail to come in 
for their share. Occasionally, one of them is detected and pun- 
ished. If the value of the stolen property amounts to six reals, 
(75 cents,) the thief is condemned to serve in the army — 
if under that amount, he is taken to the market place, un- 
dressed, and publicly whipped, with a thick, raw-hide lash, on 
his naked back ; just as if eternal disgrace would arouse his sense 
of honor. One can get accuston:ed to every thing but such bru- 
tality, and a Mexican often gets accustomed to that, for [ saw one 
laugh after he had been beaten till he bled. 

The laws seem to impose no restraint upon gambling, every 
species of which is indulged in publicly. Women, with their 
montebanks, are to be seen at every turn and corner of the 
streets. A legalized system of lotteries, also, serves not only to 
lure the population from the ordinary pursuits of industry, but 
sinks their whole lives in the vortex of uncertain chance. This 
is owing chiefly to the cheapness of tickets, which puts it in the 
power of the very poorest to become adventurers. The most 
fascinating feature in a Mexican lottery is the worst. Tickets 
can be purchased for one real, (12 1-2 cents,) which in half an 
hour may gain fifteen hundred dollars. This induces all the poor 
people to take lottery stock, and servants sometimes rob their mas- 
ters to procure the means. The doors of the numerous offices 
are always thronged, for the drawing does not cease. These offi- 
ces are filso kept by the women, to whom the government dele- 
gates the privilege, and it is not uncommon to hear an old hag 
cry out, " Who will buy my dream ? I dreamt of three numbers." 
The ugly women depend on their dreams to efliect sales, while the 



IN MEXICO. 55 

young and beautiful attract customers by their bewitcliing smiles, 
which on Sundays are accompanied by some wild chant on the 
guitar. 

Moralizers in our own country complain because the mail is 
conveyed, and steamboats are permitted to run on Sunday. They 
ought to go to Mexico. There it is the gayest, noisiest, and most 
business-like day in all the week, and there their doctrines of re- 
form might be preached to some purpose. The streets of Zaca- 
tecas are kept in one continual uproar, and the noise of omni- 
buses, diligences, wagt)ns, cluirch-goers, water-carriers, grocers, 
and pedlars, seldom dies away before midnight. In the morning, 
at six o'clock, the bells of over sixty churches summon the people 
to mass. The performances are then slightly varied during the 
day. In the forenoon, the regular service comes off, and the 
churches are surrounded by a host of carriages and wagons — 
men and women selling to the visitors fruits, cakes, pulque, and 
play-things. A crowd of lasaroni, half-naked, occupy the en- 
trance, demanding charity. In strange contrast with this fdihy, 
indolent crowd, is tl^ Mexican priest, who, in his long flowing 
garments, covered with gold and silver, as a true and humble dis- 
ciple of Jesus, passes majestically by them, as if a soid could 
never tabernacle in such an humble looking tenement. 

Desiring to make the most of our time, we visited the cathe- 
dral, in cotnpany with Dr. Hetzel, who not only knew all the 
crooks and turns of the city, but the history of almost every im- 
portant event connected with it. The cathedral is situated on 
Calle de Patria, (Patriot street,) and we soon came in front of 
its vast sculptured figures that have frowned or smiled down upon 
the street below for a hundred years. On or near the spot where 
it stands, the first church in the province was erected about three 
hundred years ago. More than two centuries after this, the edi- 
fice was entirely destroyed by fire, and was rebuilt by the munifi- 
cence of Hidalgo, a celebrated priest-general, who flourished his 
brief hour in the days of the revolution. It is an enormous pile, 
the construction of which occupied over twenty years. It would 
be idle to enter into an architectural criticism upon tliis church, 
but I may be allowed to say that were it not for its jumble of or- 
naments, by which all the effect of simplicity — one of the highest 
elements of beauty — is lost, it would be regarded with the most 
profound admiration by every beholder. The entrance is by three 
marble porches. It has tvfo towers resting on the walls, one of 
which is remarkable for having been built with money paid for 
indulgences to eat meat in Lent. The spire at the junction of 
the nave and transepts, is built of cast iron bars, with a geometri- 
cal staircase winding its way to. the top, some 400 feet. It looks 
much like the frame of a steeple, but very little like a steeple 



56 donnavan's adventures 

itself. The interior is about 420 feet in length, and the height of 
the vaulting of the nave is S"^ feet. The effect of the interior is 
exceedingly imposing, and is greatly heightened by the fine rose, 
and other windows of beautifully stained glass. It was not so 
much, however, on account of the beauty of Gothic arches and 
pictured windows, through which a flood of richly-colored light 
was shed over the delicate tracery and sculptured saints, or poured 
along the extended aisles, that I lingered in this cathedral. It 
was to dwell upon the lineaments of the proud priest's counte- 
nance. He was the son of Hidalgo himself, and was officiating 
in the funeral ceremonies of his distinguished father, whose re- 
mains had been exhumed from their narrow home at Dolores, to 
be deposited in the chapel at the cathedral in Zacatecas. He 
possesjses the religious, but not the military qualities of his father. 

The churches of Mexico are not furnished with seats or pews, 
ns in the United States ; and on entering, one is struck, not only 
with the uneasy and uncomfortable pf)sition of a large congrega- 
tion on their knees, on a hard brick floor, but by ihe gold and sil- 
ver pillars and balustrades, whicli surround the altar, the rich 
gold altar itself, and the countless images of saints and angels, 
with expanded wings, looking down from their eminent positions, 
as if to guard and bless the groups of half-clad and penitent men 
and WDiiien, kneeling around the altar beneath them. 

Tiie most implicit confidence is placed in the power of the 
saints, and the variety of distinct offices they have to perform, 
makes their catalogue so extensive, that he who is not particularly 
interested in soliciting their favors, will seldom become familiar 
with their names. One of these saints, it does not matter about 
his name, is said to preside over Hymenial affairs, and the young 
ladies frequently pray to him for husbands till the drops of perspi- 
ration r(jll down their bare necks like the sources of a young 
river. This is really " getting into a sweat" for a husband, but 
it serves to show that they are free from the sin of coquetry. If 
they become favorably impressed with the appearance of a young 
man, they are unremitting in their devotional exercises, and, 
throu Ji their petitions to the saint, almost invariably succeed in 
gaining his affections. The saint enjoys the moral reputation of 
never having directly interfered in granting a prayer which would 
deprive a married woman of her husband, but has frequently 
broken off engagements, at the earnest request of a pretty girl — 
a decided mark of gallantry, notwithstanding his absolute power 
over the affections of the young. 

In connection with this subject, a most amusing circumstance 
occurred on the morning of the fifth day after our arrival at the 
city. Mr. Cunningham, (one of my companions,) being a man 
of fine personal appearance, was called up at four o'clock by a 



IN MEXICO. 57 

man, who delivered a note from a lady to whom he had been in- 
troduced a day or two previous, and with whom he had a very 
sliglit acquaintance, stating that her husband had died on the pre- 
vious evening, and begged he would hasten to her assistance, as 
she had been most devoutly praying for him. He called upon 
the disconsolate widow, agreeable to her request, and has since 
often wished that the saint had granted her prayer, and thrown 
him into the arras of this Delila, instead of a prison-printing 
office. 

But I have not completed an enumeration of the amusements 
that occupy a Mexican Sunday. Among the most interesting to 
the citizens was a bull-fight, which came oft' in the public plaza, 
at 2 o'clock in the evening. So infatuating to the natives is this 
speclacle, that they would leave their prayers or meals half-finished, 
to witness it ; though one sight will generally satisfy the curiosity 
of an American. The price of admission to the seats within the 
plaza was one dollar, where a promiscuous crowd of some ten 
thousand persons had assembled, composed of men, women, and 
children, of every rank and station. Two bands of music, the in- 
struments consisting of drums, violins, violoncellos, guitars, flage- 
olets, and French horns, besides the horns of five bulls, were en- 
gaged for the occasion. A man on horseback and three picadores, 
or footmen, were to fight the bulls, one at a time. The animals 
are confined in a small enclosure, adjoining the amphitheatre, 
and after tcTrturing each one about half an hour, with sharp iron- 
pointed poles, ornamented with ribbons, the gate is hoisted and 
he rushes into the plaza, with long strips of crimson silk depend- 
ing from his horns and tail, and roaring like a full grown lion. 
His sonorous bellowings are soon drowned, however, by the deaf- 
ening acclamations of the crowd, and the horseman dressed in a 
cloak of rich and variegated colors rushes upon the brute with his 
lancje. it was the bull's turn next, and being a strong, healthy 
looking fellow, foaming with rage, he thrust his horns into the 
horse, and gored him to death in an instant. The rider and pica- 
doi'es vamosed, or vanished, as speedily as possible ; but soon re- 
turned to renew the attack upon their adversary, who stood 
twisting his tail in conscious triumph. In making his second 
charge the horseman caught the bull by the tail, and passing it 
under his leg, wheeled his horse and brought his adversary to his 
knees, when ho again wheeled and inflicted a severe incision in 
the bull's neck with his lance. At this, the bull became rather 
" cowed," and was hissed off" the stage. The second bull was 
then let in, and pitched into the horseman in the same unceremo- 
nious manner, but not with the success of his predecessor. A lick 
in the short ribs, by one of the picadores' pike poles, felled him to 
the ground, when they proceeded to pin a number of lighted 



58 donnavan's adventures. 

rockets to his neck, the explosion of which, instead of frightening 
the poor brute, as I presumed it would, caused him to stare in a 
most sarcastic and contemptuous manner at his persecutors. He 
then approached in a most menacing mood within a few feet of 
one of the footmen, but the skill of the latter in wielding his 
stick, enabled him to stand his ground, and pierce the enraged 
animal till the blood gushed profusely from his nostrils, and he fell 
amid a shower of applause from the spectators. But the triumph 
was reserved for the last bull, who turned the after-piece into a 
thrilling tragedy, somewhat in violation of the general programme. 
He was a lean, guant-looUing quadruped, but blessed with the 
nerve of a Hercules. Owing, perhaps, to his cadaverous appear- 
ance, they had not deemed it necessary to saw off the points of 
his horns, as they had those of the other animals, and upon the 
very first assault, he despatched one of the picadores by thrusting 
his horns through his body, and as if proud of his victory, thus 
carried him half a dozen times around the ring, when he tossed 
his lifeless body into a crowd of children, breaking the arm of a 
machucha. This, however, although not in the b\Us, was a part 
of the sport, and was as loudly cheered as any other portion of 
the performance. Indeed, there vyas some show of justice in giv- 
ing the bull a round of applause, as the animal seemed to have 
no friends there ; and as it was next to be his turn, it was perhaps 
gratifying to die full of honors. 

The entertainment continued till the bull was vicliniized, when 
the company dispersed, all shouting at the top of their voices, " Ave 
Maria purisime los gallos viennen," which translated, signifies, hail 
purest Mary, the chicken-cocks are coming ! And proceeding to 
the cock-pit on the opposite side of the plaza, a great variety of 
the best specimens of that bird, so intimately associated with the 
party politics of our own country, were found ready to indulge their 
war-like propensities for the gratification of those whom it is well 
ascertained would much rather "look on " than do any fighting 
themselves. There is no limit to the belting, or to the amounts 
staked, and I have seen, more than once, fifty thousand dollars lost 
and won on a single cock-fight. 

Here the world is seen tossing around in all its splendor, and 
the innumerable vices that splendor generates, by a base perversion 
of all the elements of happiness. Drunken Indians congregate at 
every corner to curse police officers, and laugh at the women in 
their stiff Sunday petticoats ; while others scarcely clad at all, with 
half a dozen new editions at their heels, and one tied to their 
brown backs, promenade the thoroughfares, the very daguerreo- 
types of misery and shame. At niglit all this loose population as- 
semble at different places of amusement — coffee-houses, dancing 
saloons, etc., until the hour of midnight mass, when the churches 
are again thronged. 



IN MEXICO. 59 

But amidst all the confusion of tongues, the hum of a foreign 
language, the reclless poverty and unbridled vice, there are many 
redeeming associations connected with our brief sojoin-n in Zaca- 
tecas. Of all places in the world, Mexico is the last, where a 
foreigner should undertake to preach morals, or instruct in man- 
ners, if he wish to avoid being considered a decided bore. It is 
quite certain that much of their treachery and distrust are the re- 
sult of an officious interference by foreigners, who have endeavored 
to instruct them in their social and domestic relations. We were 
not there as missionaries, and our only prayers were, in the lan- 
guage of Florida's motto, " to be let alone." We visited the silver 
mines, in the adjacent mountains, which are among the richest in 
Mexico. Although not so extensively worked as they were some 
years ago, over twelve thousand men are employed in the mines, 
and more than three thousand persons in the mint, which is second 
in importance to that in the city of Mexico, and has frequently 
coined ,^'75,000 in tne short space of twenty-four hours. The 
mines are entered by deep caverns cut in the sides of the moun- 
tains, through solid quartz, sometimes gradually descending, and 
at others ascending, a parallel distance of two miles, always fol- 
lowing the vein. The ore is contained in the stone, which, when 
quarried, is ground into powder ; the dust is then thrown into 
great reservoirs of water, where the precious metals are detached 
through a chemical process. It is asserted upon good authority, 
that the richest gold mines in the world exist in the vicinity of 
Zacatecas, but the instability and unsettled state of the government 
has offered no inducement to ca|)italists to engage in working them. 
We were shown the spot, at the confluence of two small streams, 
which wound through the steep and crooked ravines, were gold 
dust, vahied at one million of dollars, was scraped up from tlie sur- 
face with the hand, only a few years ago, by a French geologist. 

Among the greatest natural curiosities of the country is a cave 
in one of these towering mountains ; which, although of no very 
great dimensions, exceeds in beauty and sublimity any thing of the 
kind I have ever visited. The principal entrance is from the west, 
on the bank of the Santander river, where a passage has been ex- 
cavated by the hand of nature, sufficiently large to admit several 
persons abreast, and which is about sixty feel in length. At the 
extremity there is a sudden bend, or rather projection of the lateral 
rock, which, when passed, gives an unexpected and magnificent 
view of the interior cavern, presenting a circular chamber some 
hundred feet in diameter. Stalactites, ever varying in form and 
color, lend their magic effect to the scene, and reflect the light 
beams from the entrance to every nook of the subterranean apart- 
ment. Near the centre is a calcareous spring, which imparts a 
coolness to the atmosphere, grateful in the extreme to those who 



60 



DONNAVAN S ADVENTURES 



have just escaped the heat of a tropical sun. A tufa is deposited * 
from the waters, which has risen in a circular mound more than 
twelve feet from the surface of the place. Over this, on every side, 
the water pours, producing a singular and picturesque fountain, and 
making it a favorable resort at all seasons of the year. Beleninites 
are to be found in the interior, and occasionally masses of siliceous 
matter, and crystallizations of salt. This shows a rather remark- 
able geological family connection, for while the stalactites are indi- 
genous to a moist climate, saline matter is usually confined to one 
inclined to dryness. Throughout these mountains marbles abound, 
and present a great variety. The Kaolin clays, the alumine earths, 
and other minerals necessary to the arts, such as iron, copper, and 
lead, are found in innumerable places. Bituminous and anthracite 
coal are found in inexhaustible quantities, existing in mountain mas- 
ses. The anthracite beds are directly accessible, requiring no sink- 
ing of shafts, and there are no choke damps or gaseous explosions 
to be encountered in reaching it. 

But the most desirable resort about the city is the garden of 
Andalusia, owned by Don Alonzo Gomeres. A view of the city 
from this point presents a peculiar attraction ; and having been 
in the frequent habit of making sketches, my friend Cunningham 
here importuned me to present him a view of it, only a small por- 
tion of the buildings of which were visible. The garden contains 
an enclosure of some three thousand acres, and every thing is 
upon the most magnificent and instructive plan. The plants are 
set at a convenient distance in rows, like a nursery, and grouped 
together in classes and families, according to the natural system 
of Jussieu. By each specimen, elevated on a small rod, is placed 
a silver label, on which is inscribed its botanical name and the 
country to which it belongs, with a ch;iracter distinguishing^ 
whether it is annual, biennial, or perennial ; as also a black, red, 
yellow, or blue stripe across the top, denoting the plant to be poi- 
sonous, medicinal, ornamental, or edible. Besides these smaller 
labels for each species, there were larger ones at the head of each 
class or tribe. Thus, commencing with the mushrooms, mosses, 
and other cryptogamous plants, at the extremity of the enclosure, 
one can inspect row after row, gradually ascending to the proud- 
est tree of the forest ; including in all, some fifteen thousand 
specimens of the vegetable kingdom. Here trees may be seen 
growing within trees, and in every wild, fantastic shape, which 
the ingenuity of both man and nature combined, could invent. 
Orange trees are stripped of their branches, then perforated 
through their whole length, and through the roots to the ground 
beneath ; then young plants of the jtssamine, fig tree, rose and 
myrtle, are selected and arranged in tvvos or threes, according to 
fancy, and the size of the aperture in the trunk of the orange 



IN MEXICO. 61 

'^ree, and passed tlirough so as to reach a short distance above the 
top of the latter — the roots are then covered with earth, watered 
and cultivated as if just planted. The tree and young plants 
then grow together, and will live and flourish for ten or fifteen 
years, presenting a nnost beautiful and novel appearance. 

In this garden I became acquainted with the celebrated huaco, 
an herb much distinguished for its medicinal virtues, and which is a 
certain antidote for poison. It belongs to the Gordonia genus ; 
and is a pretty shrub, growing from one to two feet high, with 
leaves peiiolate, oblong, and toothed, shining above and pubescent 
beneath. The flower resembles that of the orange in both ap- 
pearance and smell. The calyx has five unequal leaves, and the 
carolla has five spreading white petals like the rose. The first 
discovery of the medicinal qualities of the huaco is attributed to 
a large bird that feeds upon snakes and reptiles in the savannas 
of the South. Many years ago the natives observed that this 
bird, called the Guayaquil, after a combat with a snake, would 
search for the herb and eat it; hence they supposed it to be an 
antidote for poison, which experience has proved to be correct. 
An internal affection may be speedily cured by chewing the herb 
and swallowing the extract, while the extract is applied external- 
ly to remedy the bite of the snake. The herb is also said to be 
an effectual cure in cases of hydrophobia ; and so highly appre- 
ciated are its virtues, that a Mexican is seldom found travelling 
without it. 

The manufactures of Zacatecas are inferior, to those even of 
its neighboring cities. A (ew coarse cotton and woolen cloths 
are made, but the chief interest of the people is attracted to min- 
ing and merchandising. There are a number of potteries in the 
city, where a variety of wares are manufactured. The potters 
work in the open air, and shape their work with remarkable dex- 
terity,, on a simple wheel, horizontally arranged, and revolving 
close upon the ground, so as to permit them to sit, according to 
the custom of all lazy people. These wares are burned in large 
open ovens. They make tiles, and water and cooking pots ; but 
the finer wares, manufactured in other countries, are unknown to 
them. Their most curious article is a large vessel for holding 
grain, much the shape of a Chinese jar, and capable of containing 
several bushels. 

Among the better and more intelligent classes in the province 
of Zacatecas, may be numbered more enthusiastic admirers of 
our own institutions, than in any other state of Mexico. The 
federal or state rights party have ever been in the ascendency 
there, and cast the vote of the province, at the last presidential 
election, for Jose Maria Lafragua, the acting Governor, who was 
prompt in denouncing the measures of Santa Anna, as far back 
6 



62 donnavan's adventures 

as the Texan revolution. He is a man of some experience in 
government and poliiical philosophy ; and although seduced by 
the rapid advancement and complete freedom of the United States, 
he would not countenance the dismemberment of the Mexican 
provinces ; while he frankly confesses that a want of intelligence 
and energy among his own countrymen renders them incompetent 
to sustain a compact similar in construction. There is a great 
difTerence between the condition of the United States, founded 
and established under the shelter of institutions approaching re- 
publicanism, and that of the Mexican provinces, which have for 
three hundred years depended on a monarchical and despotic 
government. In the latter, democratic forms were new, and 
many of them opposed to the customs, habits, and inveterate preju- 
dices of the people. In the former, little else was necessary but 
to vary the appointment of officers. Even the constitutional 
charters and laws of some of the former provinces of the United 
States, answered for the same when transformed into republican 
States. In Mexico it was necessary to change almost every thing 
which existed. There is nothing wonderful, therefore, in the an- 
archy which has characterized their existence — the laws were 
not adapted to the people. Mexicans who pf)ssess a knowledge 
of the world and of men, are fully apprised of these things ; and 
it was a sense of the utter helplessness of their position, under a 
government without character or stability, that induced the Zaca- 
tecans to join Texas, in throwing off the yoke of a central and 
military despotism,, to form an independent government. Less 
fortunate than their new neighbors, they then received a reproof, 
the details of which, for the credit of civilization, have never 
come to the ear of the world. With the bloody butcheries of 
Santa Anna and his forces in Texas, most of us have beconre 
somewhat familiar ; but of the dark and disgraceful cruelties 
which marked his advance through Zacatecas, we shall have no 
complete record. It was a most unhappy period, and If the sins 
of Sodom and Gomorrah were enough to sink those cities, 1 could 
not imagine a punishment the severity of which would be com- 
paratively appropriate in Santa Anna's case. At the head of 
military and civil authority, he marched an army among his own 
people, not only to murder, but to outrage their hearths and altars. 
A father had no security that his daughter or wife would not be 
corrupted by the officers of his own country, by means of the 
terror which they inspired, and the influence which their situa- 
tion imparted. Any officer, who wished to free himself from the 
importunate presence of a father or a husband, or who desired to 
get possession of his property, instituted a process against him as 
an insurgent, and was sure that his superiors would applaud his 
zeal in the service of Santa Anna. No case of this kind made a 



IN MEXICO. 63 

more profound and lasting impression upon the inhabitants of Za- 
calecas, nor manifested more clearly the extent to which cruelty 
was carried, than that of Leonor Rovira. She was a young any 
handsome female, enthusiastically attached to liberty, favoring and 
giving aid to the oppressed patriots, and to those who, in the dark- 
est hour had resolved to fly to the plains of Texas, from whence 
they hoped that freedom might yet come to their own province. 
She loved and was beloved by a youth who had been an officer 
of the province, and was now compelled to serve as a common 
soldier, in the desolating army of Santa Anna. Through the in- 
fluence she possessed over him, he was induced to desert, and fly 
to Texas. Leonor made arrangements for the flight of a number 
of other persons, of whom several were of the army. She pro- 
cured exact statements of Santa Anna's forces, with lists of the 
names of patriots and other persons who could be trusted, all of 
which she transmitted to Gen. Houston. Her lover and his com- 
panions were discovered and apprehended in their flight. The 
letters and other papers betrayed Leonor, who was with them 
thrown into prison. The cause was tried by martial law, and dur- 
ing its progress this young female is said to have manifested much 
presence of mind and the most unshaken courage. She would 
compromise no one by her declarations, and the judges could not 
elicit from her any confession of the means by which she procur- 
ed the statements sent to Texas. Finally, she and forty others 
were condemned by a council of war to the punishment of death, 
and to be shot in the back. She is said to have heard the sen- 
tence with the utmost composure and tranquility, preparing herself 
for death like a Christian and a heroine — and walking to the 
place of execution with a firm step, she bitterly reproached her 
murderers for their barbarous cruelty. And exhorting her com- 
panions to die with the character and firmness of freemen, she an- 
nounced, in a clear and audible voice, that her blood would soon 
be avenged by the deliverers of her oppressed and degraded 
country. She was shot in the principal plaza. Her constancy 
and courage astounded even the iron hearts of a rapacious sol- 
diery, and the memory of her premature sacrifice has doubtless 
served to keep alive the burning embers of revolt in Zacatecas, to 
the present day. 



64 DOSS AT ax's ADrEXTCaES 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Impemdtns Difiadtits — Smia .Ittna cd San Luis Potosi — Priests heading 
GuariUa Portia — Arvnd of a Ddadumad from Stnta .inna's .Imiy — Re- 
eaptwred hy <4e Mtxicams — .■hrest of Ciiizeas of ZaadfOtt — .\farcA to San 
Zmis Potosi — Mexiean Soldiers, and Uuir MzHner of UnlistiBsr — City and 
Prison of San Luis Potosi — Erecidion — Mode a/" in^idin^ Capital Pmn- 
ishmnd — buiUHon to join the ^Icxioin .imii — Our indisrnant Refusal — 
Departwre for Act^tdeo — Estate of JoraL — Dolores — City and Ckmreies 
of Guamtguato. 

The endearments of home and friends, the love one bears 
for his native land, and the partiality he feels ft>r its institutions, 
can never be fully realized lill placed beyond their reach and influ- 
ence. Then it is that the natural yearning of the heart will viv- 
idly recall endearing associations ; and burying all the little ani- 
mosities and faults he may find with our government when at 
home, he will be sensible only to its virtues and its blessings. It 
is a reuiarkable. though a very inconsistent trait, in the character 
of an American, that however much he may dissent, dispuie. de- 
plore, in the heat of party conflict at home, and even prophesy 
the impending ruins which are to be the inevitable result of each 
succeeding presidential election, let him hear the very same senti- 
ments uttered in a foreign land, or the eternal permanency of his 
country's institutions for a moment doubted, and his indignation 
will have no bounds. In the true Yankee spirit, he will ever be 
found ready to •• argue the question," by contrasts, which are 
always sure to redound to his own advantage. 

We had been one week in Zacaiecas. Although in the full en? 
joyment of personal freedom, the circu nstance of uur release had 
lo some extent exasperated the authorities, and with no assurance 
of safety for any definite period, the approach of the American 
army was daily looked for with a great degree of solicitude. 

Santa Anna was at this time concentraiing his forces at San 
Luis Potosi, only 190 miles distant, where he had arrived on the 
8th of October. Our former captors had not been seen after 
holding a consultation with the priests and authorities, on the 
memorable morning of our release. Companies of soldiers and 
rancheros were to be seen in the streets, however, at almost any 
hour : and Santa Anna having issued his most eloquent appeals 
to the clergy, many of them were induced to dofi" their sacerdo- 
tal robes, for the time, and join in the last desperate struggle to 
retain their supremacy. The priests, ever jealous of their power 
and influence, even became so fanatical as to place thernselves at 
the head of guerilla parties, raised in the neighboring mountains. 



IN MEXICO. 65 

Weak and apparently inactive as these bands at first were, they 
daily gathered new strength, till they began to assume a more in- 
timidating character. Although formidable \n point of numbers, 
the peace party liad issued no promtnciamento, which is the first 
act preparatory to a revolution. They gave unreserved expres- 
sion to their opinions, yet they assumed no attitude of open hos- 
tility towards the authorities of the central government. Revolt 
was not surmised either by the friends or enemies of Santa Anna, 
and the avowed object of the guerilla bands was to join a division 
of his forces to be sent from San Luis Potosi in the event of Gen. 
Taylor's expected arrival. 

Those accustomed to a well-regulated government, seldom feel 
secure in Mexico, either in iheir persons or property ; and at this 
crisis many of those who had figured rather conspicuously in the 
peace party, would have evacuated the place, had not retreat been 
more hazardous than to remain. Their only hope, as well as our 
own, was in the advance of " Old Kough and Ready," who at 
that time would have been welcotned in a much more hospitable 
manner than he was at Monterey. 

On the 13th of November, (he thunder of artillery announced 
the approach of an army, and it is impossible to portray the con- 
fusion and out-bursis of enthusiastic rejoicing it created among 
all classes. The peace party hailed it as Gen. Taylor's anticipa- 
ted advent, the authorities and clergy knew it to be a detachment 
from San Luis Poiosi, while others, enveloped in total ignorance, 
shouted because the crowd did. 

The mystery was soon revealed, however, when the green 
roundabouts of the Mexicans became vi.-ible, and the army, over 
three thousand strong, under the command of Gen. Requina, 
marched into the city, and quartered on the principal plaza. It 
was soon ascertained that this force had been despatched by Santa 
Anna, to quell certain indications of revolt in the city of Zacaiecas, 
of Ai hich the clergy had promptly given him inforn)ation. 

The night which followed was one of consternation and horror. 
It was just one month from the date of our captivity atCamargo, 
and one week after our release from the hands of cruel and un- 
feeling tyrants at Zacatecas. With Dr. Hetzel, John Allman, 
Lucius Enfield, and George B. Gentry, all Americans, we were 
the first to be arrested. After the arrests commenced, many es- 
caped through the gates, and took refuge in the neighboring moun- 
tains, while hundreds of citizens were dragged from their homes, 
and placed under guard, to be tried as rebels, their property con- 
fiscated and destroyed, and their sanctuaries entered and desecra- 
ted by the mob. The citizens, unarmed, could make no resist- 
ance against a force which, including the guerilla bands, amounted 

to more than seven thousand men, had they been disposed to do 
5# 



66 donnavan's adventures 

so, and they submitted to trial. Many were discharged, others 
were condemned to serve in the army ; while we, with six other 
Americans, were sent to San Luis Polosi, and again incarcerated 
in the common prison, with the most abandoned felons. 

If we had before held our lives by a precarious tenure, what 
could we now expect, after inciting almost a rebellion, and arous- 
ing the indignation of Santa Anna himself. We had never en- 
tertained a very flattering opinion of his humane disposition, and 
his former persecution of the Zacatecans, with a knowledge of 
his cruelty to the Texans, was poorly calculated to elevate him in 
ihe esteem of any one. 

Approaching San Luis Potosi, from Zacatecas, we passed 
through the flourishing towns of Pinos, Ojocaliente, and Aguas- 
caliente, each containing some ISjOOO or 15,000 inhabitants. 

Under a strong guard, we entered the city of San Luis Potosi, 
on the evening of November 19th, preceded by a large company 
of new recruits for the Mexican army. These recruits consisted 
of Indians, who had been forced from their homes — and re- 
quired to serve during the campaign. Their hands were bound 
to their backs, and they were paired off, and tied together. This 
is the manner in which the ranks of their army are filled, so that 
it is little wonder they express great surprise at our system of vol- 
unteering. 

San Luis Potosi is situated in the valley of the Panuco, a river 
falling into the Gulf near Tampico, and which might be made nav- 
igable for steamboats as far up as Tula, over one hundred miles 
from the mouth, and seventy miles below the city. In importance 
it is the second city in the republic — in population the third — 
containing 60,000 inhabitants. It is located in a rich mining region [ 
but from some causes these sources of wealth have been greatly 
neglected within the past ten years, and the attention of the citi- 
zens directed more to manufacturing. The Panuco river affords 
excellent facilities for manufacturing, which are to some extent 
improved. Woolen and cotton cloths, hats, boots and shoes, and 
other articles, are here made for exportation to all the sunounding 
provinces. Some attention is also paid to education, and they have 
a magnificent college. The buildings of this institution, together 
with those of the mint, Governor's palace, and cathedral, presenta 
commanding view. The buildings generally are inferior in size, 
and mostly constructed of stucco. 

The prison at San Luis Potosi is on a more extensive scale tRan 
that at Monclova, and includes within its walls a much larger fam- 
ily. On the morning of the 20th of November, after remaining in 
the prison over night, we were all conducted to the gate, passing 
by the place of execution, in one corner of the large walled square, 
where the officers were fulfilling the end.° of justice, by executing 



IN MEXICO. 



67 



a lot of condemned criminals. There was so little ceremony at- 
tending their operations, and such a carelessness about their man- 
ner, that we did not dream they were performing the work of death. 
As our guard delayed lo open the ponderous gate, however, and 
we saw them toss two dead bodies into rough looking boxes, placed 
on equally rough wagons with wooden wheels, we were apprised 
of the nature of their employment, and, indeed, began to think we 
might probably be the next victims. Their manner of inflicting 
capital punishment is more refined than in the United States. In 
the first place, they do not make a public spectacle of an execu- 
tion. Within the walls of the prison enclosure, the condemned 
culprit is seated in a chair, when an iron collar is placed around 
his neck, made to expand or contract, as may be necessary. In 
the back part of this is inserted a sharp pointed spike, moved at 
pleasure by the executioner by means of a screw, and on turning 
which the spinal marrow is penetrated by the point, causing instant 
death. This ingenious machine, for the perpetration of legalized 
murder, is called the garotte. 

As we beheld this scene of dissolution between body and soul, 
we felt that the last ray was quivering upon the dial-plate of our 
own destiny. To be forcibly driven into the presence of Santa 
Anna — into the very grasp of his insatiate soldiery, was enough 
to make us think seriously of preparing our last will and testament. 
But we had not yet suffered enough to glut their cruel propensi- 
ties, and marching us to the barracks, they gave us to understand 
that we were to serve in the republican army of Mexico ! We all 
joined in thanking them for this ti ark of proffered promotion, but 
declined, stating that if they would gpare our lives till the Ameri- 
can forces commenced knocking at their gates, and they had any 
curiosity in seeing us fight, we might give them a specimen, by 
exercising our organs of combativeness under other colors. It was 
an insult that our sense of patriotism could not brook, and we felt 
it more keenly than all the outrages we had endured. 

Santa Anna did not make his appearance in person, but finding 
our resolution to place at defiance such a demand, irrevocably 
fixed, he sent his kitchen general (Requina) to inform us that we 
were to be immediately marched off to Acapulco. What object 
he could have had in view in sending us to that miserable place, 
has never revealed itself to me. Acapulco is a port of some im- 
portance on the coast of the Pacific, nearly eight hundred miles 
from San Luis Potosi, and owing to the malignity of the climate, 
and the still more malignant character of the inhabitants, few who 
go there ever return alive. 

Through our new associates, who had been brought from Zaca- 
tecas, and who were to accompany us to Acapulco, we learned 
that Santa Anna had been informed by the clergy of the former 



68 • donnavan's adventures 

place, that we had been captured as spies. In no other way could 
we account for the apparent lenity by which our lives were pro- 
longed, than to attribute it to their desire that the catalogue of our 
sufferings should be complete in this world, before being despatched 
on a mission to eternity. 

Accordingly, under new masters, commissioned by Santa Anna 
to guard us, we commenced our journey to the Pacific, on the 20th 
of November. Including the new accession from Zacatecas, our 
own party was now swelled to nine in number, while our guard, 
increasing in a greater ratio, consisted of forty-six, well-armed, 
able-bodied, and mounted men. We could not but think of the 
disappointment of poor Poco Llama and his rancheros, and although 
treated with more humanity, we almost regretted the transfer ; for 
we had abandoned all former hope of returning to our own country, 
and iiistend of expecting to be sold into slavery, with a prospect of 
being released at the termination of hostilities, we felt, as we plodded 
on towards the setting sun, that 



" Our hearts, like muffled drums, were beating 
Funeral marches to tlie grave." 

Thirty miles from San Luis Potosi we entered the dominions of 
the almost unlimited estate originally owned and occupied by the 
house of Jorol, of the Spanish nobility. This is represented to be 
the largest and most magnificent estate in Mexico. At the com- 
mencement of the revolution, the amount of stock was reputed to 
number 350,000 head, and the tenantry engaged in cultivating the 
grounds to over 30,000 men. In extent of territory these posses-, 
sions will equal about four of our ordinary counties, and the single 
farm is larger than the State of Delaware. The unsettled policy 
of the country has driven the proprietor from his possessions, and 
the estate now bears evident marks of decay and t'ilapidation. 
Another immense hacienda is Dolores, the original seat of Hidalgo, 
the leader of the first revolutionary movement in Mexico. Near 
the centre of this estate, comprising some 20,000 square miles, is 
the town of Dolores, with a population of 7,000. 

Four days travel brought us to Guanajuato, on the Sierre Santa, 
the capital of the province of the same name, situated in the richest 
mining region of all Mexico, and containing 40,000 inhabitants. 
I have never seen a more quaint and singular city than Guanajuato. 
The street by which we entered the place is broad and straight 
enough for a Philadelphian, but the moment we left it and turned 
off into the narrow, hilly avenues, we were in a perfect labyrinth. 
They are so narrow and crooked that carriages can scarcely pass 
each other in the most of them. Our guard here took the precau- 



IN MEXICO. 69 

tion to dismount, in order to convey us throug'h the city in a hollow 
square sort of procession. In these narrow streets there are no 
side-walks, and but for the commanding appearance of our crowd, 
upon which all eyes were turned, we should have been crushed 
against the buildings by some lumbering diligence. Threading the 
tortuous and crowded lanes, we frequently came out upon some 
magnificent church, which if it could be made to stand apart from 
the world of small buildings, tumbled in together as if about knee- 
deep around it, would be regarded as almost a wonder of archi- 
tecture ; and which even now, with the imperfect view which can be 
obtained, between unmannerly dwellings and ware-houses, charms 
the beholderl ike the glimpses of a fairy scene. Hurried through the 
city as we were, there was Utile opportunity to acquire much 
knowledge of its character or extent ; but I could not help notic- 
ing the antique buildings, the unusually active and energetic pop- 
ulation, and the strange dresses that were perhaps in. the height of 
style about a century ago. Passing through the city to the sub- 
urbs, we stopped for the night in a convent building, not exactly 
among the nuns, but with ihe padre of the place, whom we found 
remarkably hospitable and inquisitive. The heavy rains which 
commenced falling, detained us here till the middle of the follow- 
ing day, when we left for Valladolid. 



CHAPTER IX, 

Arrival at Valladolid — Curiosih/ of ihe Cilizens — .4 French Piiblisher — His 
History — Another Sentence of Death — JVe^otiation for our release — " Bar- 
gain and Intrigue" — Sold into Slavery — Mexican Charac'er — Our Price — 
Dr. Bumj — A Mexican Printing Office— Spanish Printers — El Republi- 
cano — Support and Character of Mexican JVeivspapers. 

In ten days we performed a journey of 310 miles, and arrived 
in the city of Valladolid on the evening of December 1st. 1846. 
The day had been the occasion of some religious festival, and the 
streets and public houses were so thronged that our guard deter- 
mined to confine us during the night in the city prison, that they 
might, unembarrassed, participate in the concluding ceremonies, 
which we understood were to consist o( a fandango and mas- 
querade. 

After a delegation had been despatched for the keeper of the 
prison, and to make the necessary arrangements for our security, 
many of the citizens crowded in the meson to get a sight at us. 
Had our guard been gifted with a little of that Yankee tact which 



70 donnavan's adventurks 

turns everything to count in the way of a " shilling," they might 
have made a handsome " speculation " by exhibiting us. The mar- 
vellousnessof the natives was excited to a greater extent than is' 
usually manifested by the boys of our own villages in the United 
States, when the " show-men come to town." Indeed, we were 
great lions, in our way, for few of the citizens of Valladolid had 
ever seen a Yankee, and they opened their eyes, as if determined 
this opportunity should not be unimproved. From among the 
crowd an elderly looking man emerged, and advancing, accosted 
us in unbroken English — " Are you American citizens ? I had 
thought that that announcement was a free passport the world 
over." There was more meaning expressed in his countenance 
than in his words, and although his bearing was rather scornful, 
his English surprised us ; but as it was the first sentence we had 
heard uttered in our language beyond our own immediate circle, 
since we left Zacatecas, we did not attempt to evade his presence 
or his interrogatories. We replied, that had our memory ever 
been at all treacherous in regard to the place of our nativity, the 
contrast we had experienced in treatment since passing beyond 
its borders, was calculated forcibly to remind us that we had once 
been citizens of the United States. 

The old man seemed inclined to continue the conversation, and 
soon revealed the most important facts connected with his individ- 
ual and somewhat eveniful history. He stated that his father's 
name, which was all he had inherited, was Mons. Buffam — that 
he himself was a native of France, but had in early life emigrated 
to England. In 1835, he left England for the United States, and 
on landing at New York was so dissatisfied with its appearance, 
and the intense coldness of the climate, that he immediately sailed 
with a cargo of goods for San Bias, on the Pacific coast. Cruis-'~ 
ing around to the small English colony of Balize, he changed his 
destination to Acapulco, and anchoring in that harbor, at the time 
of the difficulties between Mexico and Texas, he found it an easy 
matter to purchase from the Mexican authorities a permit to im- 
port goods free of duty. On returning with his second cargo, he 
learned at the custom house that his permit was worthless, as the 
former authorities had been deposed, after the battle of San 
Jacinto, and the new government was not responsible for {he pri- 
vate contracts of the old custom house officers. He sold out his 
cargo at a sacrifice, and abandoning the mercantile business in 
1839, he had settled down in the city of Valladolid, where he 
was engaged as one of the publishers of " El Republicano " news- 
paper. 

In listening to him we manifested a degree of interest always 
gratifying to the narrator of events in which he is the master spirit ; 
and when, in turn, we came to tell him that we had for several 



IN MEXICO. I^fr 

years been connected with the newspaper press of the United 
States, and that two of us were practical printers by profession, he 
evinced symptoms of confusion and surprise for which we were 
at a loss to account. Our interview was abruptly closed, however, 
by the command of the guard, who gave us to understand that they 
awaited our company to prison. 

Daring the night and on the day following, our guard indulged 
freely in pulque, and had become so " gloriously drunk " as to 
apparently lose all their distinguished consideration of us. To- 
wards evening, however, our new acquaintance of " El Republi- 
cano," accompanied by his associate, Senor Gomez Peyrelades, a 
native Spaniard, and editor of the paper, visited and informed us, 
that the commander of our guard (Gen. Requina.) too beastly 
drunk to navigate himself, had ordered his men to conduct us 
from the prison one at a time, and dehberalely shoot us down in 
the public plaza. They then consulted us in regard to our willing- 
ness to serve them in the capacity of compositors, should they in- 
tercede and procure our release as prisoners. We did not long 
hesitate in choosing between being shot, going to Acapulco, or 
taking '' situations " in a printing office. In clinging to the latter 
" horn of the dilemma," we might possibly avail ourselves of an 
opportunity to escape, at least after the close of the war. 

After an absence of about an hour, during which time they held 
an interview with Gen. Requina, they returned and stated they 
had "come to terms " — that they had paid $'1,900 in considera- 
tion of securing our services, for an indefinite period, and that if 
disposed to ratify the negotiation, we might signify our intentions 
by being conducted to the printing office. 

Here was a scene for philosophical reflection. We had often 
accused our brother editors of being " bought and sold." In the 
heat of party warfare we had been somewhat lavish in the use of 
such reproachful and disgusting epithets as " British Whigs " and 
" Bank-bought federalists." We had stigmatized our own coun- 
trymen as being sold into the servile slavery of party ; and had 
reprobated the idea of '• white slavery,'''' in the most earnest man- 
ner. But this was only the enthusiastic romancing incident to 
youth, led away by the tyranny of party discipline, in the excite- 
ment of a heated pohtical contest. We had now come to experi- 
ence some of the realities of a purchased editor, and humiliating 
as was the "bargain and intrigue" to our native sense of justice, 
we found ourselves transferred into unlimited bondage. 

It was useless that we should demand the authority by which 
such an outrage upon our own feelings, as well as all rules of civ- 
ilization, was perpetrated. Power is the only authority recognized 
in Mexico, and if, as I have before remarked, men will sell their 
own souls, they will hardly hesitate to sell the bodies of their 
enemies. 



72 donnavan's adventures 

The character of the great mass of that people may be assimi- 
lated to that of a spaniel dog. Give them uncontrolled sway and 
they are cruel and inhuman — but " the more you whip them the 
better they will like you " — and when subdued, they are far more 
servile and humble than the negro slaves of our Southern states. 

Under all the circumstances, we had some reason to congratu- 
late ourselves upon this change of masters. We had escaped from 
a second sentence to be shot down as common food for the more 
common buzzards, while we had substantial evidence of the esteem 
in which we were held by our new owners, from the round sum 
they had paid for us. It is quite natural, that, when a price is set 
upon a man's head, he is ambitious to bring as much as possible : 
and we consoled ourselves by a knowledge that we had sold for a 
greater amount than we could possibly have brought in our own 
country, even with a few dips in Etheopian die. 

[And here, although somewhat out of place, the author must be 
permitted to correct an erroneous statement which has appeared in 
the New York " Spirit of the Times," and the New Orleans 
" Delta," since his return to the United States. He has been 
<' undervalued " by an article which appeared in those papers, 
and copied into various other respectable prints, asserting that he 
had been sold for the contemptible sum of ij^'350 ! The mistake 
is no doubt an innocent one, yet it is calculated to detract from the 
value of a printer — and for the credit of the craft, it should be 
understood that he not only sold for ^950, but that his associate 
brought the same price.] 

Our mutual friend, Dr. Barry, being now left in confinement 
with the Zacatecan prisoners, suggested that he should consider it 
an especial favor if a similar disposition could be made of his per- 
son to an apothecary, if " hereabouts he dwelt." In fact he pos- 
sessed every requisite qualification for that place, according to the 
idea of the poet, for 

" Sharp misery had worn him to the bones ; " 

and there is but little doubt but that Gen. Requina would have 
gladly dispensed with all the prisoners on similar conditions, but 
it seemed we had supplied the demand. In a few days, after be- 
coming sober, the entire company departed for Acapulco with the 
other prisoners, leaving Mr. Cunningham and myself to enter upon 
our life-apprenticeship in a Mexican printing office. 

The office, which occupied the third story of a large stone build- 
ing, and is entered through a pylon, a court, and then a massive 
gate, was a perfect museum of curioslies to an American printer. 
The room was large and commodious, but filthy almost beyond 
description. In printing, as well as other arts, mechanics, and 



IN MEXICO. 73 

agriculture, the Mexican people are at least two centuries behind 
the age. Their type and presses, like their muskets, are generally 
the worn out and cast-off materials from Spain. The old Ram- 
age presses were so venerable they could scarcely stand alone,and 
at each successive revolution of the rounce their shrieks would grate 
upon the ear, as if exercise was as painful to them as to the Span- 
ish printers who were torturing their poor old joints. There were 
two of these machines, each having a stone bed, and a ponderous 
weight, like a Dutch cheese press. The face of the type was 
barely visible, and it was with some difficulty one letter could be 
distinguished from another, while the body was worn as round as 
a rusty nail. Such an improvement as a roller had never been 
dreamed of, and the balls, long since banished from our western 
borders, there retain supremacy. An imposing stone has never 
invaded the original prerogative of the press bed, and an iron 
chase would be regarded as a retrograde movement in " the 
art preservative of all arts." The chases, sticks, and galleys, were 
all composed of wood, though being made of mahogany, they 
serve nearly as well as metal. The cases, instead of being mounted 
on stands, are spread out on the floor, as the Spaniard, being too 
lazy to take a perpendicular position, prefers to sit down, to set 
up type ; and on a filthy mat, thrown out upon the floor, he 
sprawls himself at his occupation, where he will sometimes succeed 
in setting three thousand ems per day. In making up a news- 
paper /onn, the annuncios, or advertisements, are inserted promis- 
cuously with the reading matter, without any such encumbrances 
as brass rule. 

The Mexicans are by no means a literary people, and they have 
few newspapers. " El Republicano " is a super-royal sheet, is- 
sued daily, resembling in mechanical appearance, Ann Royal's 
" Huntress,^^ more than any other sheet to which I can compare 
it. It is sustained by contributions from individuals and the gov- 
ernment, and contains very little intelligence besides official an- 
nouncements. Occasionally a horrible murder will adorn its col- 
umns ; and it is a prevailing epidemic among the young people of 
the " upper ten," to give publicity to their amorous verses, gener- 
ally stupid and prosy, but sometimes possessing the fire of poetry. 



T-C donnavan's advektures 



CHAPTER X. 

City of Valladolid — Climate and Productions — Volcano of Jorullo — .Veir 
Theory of the Gulf Stream — Christmas — Buildings in the City — Customs 
of the inhabitants — Matrimonial Liti-igues — Music — Governor of Mechoacan, 
and his Plan of Warfare — Ignorance of a Mexican Editor in regard to the 
United States — Corwin''s Speech — A'eu's of the Battle of Buena Vista — 
Great Rejoicing — Seiitiinents of the Masses. 

Valladolid, the capital of the province of Mechoacan, is situ- 
ated on the western declivity of the Cordillera of Auhuac. It 
contains a population of 27.000, and is noted as being the scene 
of the first revolutionary movement in 1810, and the birth place 
of Iturbide, the first and only emperor, after the conquest by Cor- 
tez. It is about eleven hundred miles south from Camargo, one 
hundred and seventy west from the city of Mexico, and nearly 
two hundred east from Zacatula, the nearest port on the Pacific 
coast, at the mouth of the Balsas river. The valley of Auhuac is 
the Italy of America, where spring reigns unbroken. The mean 
temperature of the climate is 70 degrees, Fahrenheit, never vary- 
ing more than ten degrees. The productions of this immense 
valley consist of sugar, cotton, rice, cocoa, indigo, cochineal, oran- 
ges, lemons, pine-apples, grapes, palms, plantains, bananas, yams, 
figs, tamarinds, pomegranates, mangostans, almonds, and every va- 
riety of tropical fruits. 

Among the majestic, in the natural way, Mechoacan his within 
her territorial limits, the stupendous volcano of Jorullo, of nearly 
one hundred years, and 16.500 feet standing. In the fall of 1759, 
from a subterranean eruption, which covered with a sea of la\^ 
the broad plains of Malpais, rose the towering peak of Jorullo, 
which, although constantly burning, seldom emits lava. At an el- 
evation of 14,500 feet above the base, it is covered with perpetual 
snow. The only eruption, within the memory of the inhabitants, 
occurred about twenty-eight years ago, when it is said that the 
streets of Valladolid were covered with cinders and ashes to the 
depth of twenty inches. 

Recently a new and very plausible theory has been suggested, 
accounting not only for the high temperature of the waters of the 
Gulf of Mexico, but for the existence of the Gulf stream itself. 
It is surmised that a subterranean current, connecting the waters 
of the Pacific with those of the Gulf, passes through a cavity or 
excavation, caused by the eruptions of the five volcanoes — Colima, 
Jorullo, Popocatapetl, Orizaba, and Tuxtla, which are situated in 
nearly a direct line between the Pacific and the Gulf. Indeed, 
there is much evidence in support of this theory, the waters of the 



IN MEXICO. 75 

Pacific being at a considerable elevation above those of the Gulf, 
would afford sufficient fall, and the great heat so increases their 
impetus, as to compel the current to the shores of Asia. Besides, 
I learned that in an attempt to sink an artesian well a few years 
since at Patzcuro, near Jorullo, and on a parallel line with the 
volcanoes, the blue waters, resembling those of the Pacific, 
gushed up, nlready healed to a sufficient temperature to boil an 

When Christmas arrived, the whole city vvas in commotion. 
All shops and business operations were closed for one week, to 
give full swing to religious ceremonies. Left to take care of our 
own souls, we could only amuse ourselves by looking out frotn our 
prison house upon the Catholic processions in their strange cavort- 
ings and unaccountable gyrations through the sireets ; and watch 
the various intrigues and stolen glances among the belles and 
beaux. 

The warmth and geniality of the climate renders the use of 
glass in the windows entirely unnecessary, and to keep out intrud- 
ers the windows are grated with iron bars, about an inch in diam- 
eter, with shutters on the inside, to be closed when occasion may 
require it. These windows are very large, and open from the 
floor to the ceiling, and being the most pleasant part of the house 
during the heat of the day, are almost always occupied by the 
ladies of the family. As the great majority of the houses are 
only one story high, and built close upon the streets, this custom of 
sitting in the windows affords fine opportunities for lovers to steal 
an occasional interview. The ladies being thus constantly exposed 
to the gaze of the public, become accustomed to it, and do 
not deem it rudeness for entire strangers to stare at them, or even 
stop and ask them questions. But it was not long before we 
learned to distinguish when a favorite came along, as the lady 
would then manage to get her lips through the interstices, to greet 
him with a hearty kiss. And they are not to be blamed for such 
advances, by any means ; for paternal tyranny is carried to excess 
in most of the cities of Mexico — a gentleman being permitted 
to visit a lady but three or four times (and then only in the pres- 
ence of her mother, aunt, or duenna,) before declaring his inten- 
tions. If his proposals are acceptable, the preliminaries of the 
marriage are forthwith arranged, without consulting the feelings 
of the one most interested. This being the case, it is not to be 
wondered at that matrimonial infidelity and intrigue are so com- 
mon among all classes, and that husbands and fathers should re- 
sort to bolts and bars to secure that virtue for their wives and 
daughters which should have been instilled into their minds from 
infancy. 

But notwithstanding all the vigilance of fathers and guardians, 



76 donnavan's adventures. 

" love laughs at locksmiths," and lovers can invent a thousand 
ways to hold converse with each other ; so that elopements are as 
common there as births in the " log cabin " of a Hoosier. 
Among all classes, parents usually sell their daughters when they 
become marriageable, for ^100 — sometimes for less, and often 
for a " mess of pottage." 

We were at times the unperceived witnesses to matrimonial in- 
trigues, and although removed beyond the voices of the lovers, 
could not fail to anticipate their emotions from their earnest ges- 
tures ; which, if we interpreted aright, always signified that they 
would take great pleasure in dying for each other. In the even- 
ings we could sit upon the windows, and listen to the " poor 
man's opera," which, unlike the animated instruments by which 
he is regaled in our own country, consists of a band of musicians, 
who play on the plaza every night, from eight till ten o'clock, for 
the benefit of all who are susceptible of being " moved by the 
concord of sweet sounds." 

During the first two months of our confinement, we were em- 
ployed in the composition of a " Reprint of the Ordinances of 
the city of Valladolid," which entitled us to an occasional visit 
from the Governor of the province, (Melchor Ocampo,) who su- 
perintended the publication. He is among, if not at the very- 
head of, the gj'eat men of Mexico, and was a candidate for presi- 
dent at the last election. Ocampo is about thirty-eight years of 
age, rather below the middlmg size, but well built. His fine olive 
complexion looks darker than it really is, from the jetty blackness 
of his hair, which hangs in ringlets about his face, and from his 
extensive mustachios and sparkling black eyes. In his manners 
he is perfectly easy and gentlemanlike, and though the first im- 
pressions would be, from his extreme politeness, and continual 
smiles, that he was a good natured and silly fop, yet one could 
see from his keen, inquisitive glances, which involuntarily escaped 
him, that he' concealed under an almost childish lightness of man- 
ner, a close and accurate study of mankind. He speaks fluently 
five languages ; and having been an accurate observer of human 
nature, he had the power to make his conversation extremely in- 
structive, though he seldom took the pains to gratify us by doing 
so. His political talents are of the first order, and his mental 
resources great. He seems to have every confidence in his own 
power, but has not that personal firmness and hardihood of pur- 
pose to lead in a revolutionary n}ovement. Nor can he be called 
cowardly, for he has on many occasions resolutely placed himself 
in situations he knew to be dangerous ; yet when danger arrives, 
he unfortunately loses his coolness and presence of mind, and 
imbibes that impetuosity of Spanish nature so fatal to all prudence. 
He openly denounces Santa Anna as a tyrant and usurper, but is 



IN MEXICO. 77 

the warm friend of Anaya, at that time the Substitute President. 
He is a most strenuous advocate of the war, and his plan of con- 
ducting it seems to show his sagacity and his perfect appreciation 
of the character of the Mexican soldiery. He would have the 
people join the guerillas, abandon the towns and cities, and carry 
their property oft' to the mountains. We heard him assert, with 
decided emphasis and decision, that "should Mexico consent to 
make peace with the Yankees, he would fight the inhabitants of 
the other provinces as soon as a foreign foe." Such is his aver- 
sion to a treaty that would ** tarnish their integrity or infringe 
upon their nationality, that before he would sanction it — even 
were his own Mechoacan to do it — he would rather expatriate 
himself than yield to it and live in a dishonored country." But 
with all his patriotism, he suffers his personal feelings and individ- 
ual enmities to get the better of him ; and I believe he would 
sooner subject his country to the Turks than have Santa Anna 
get the credit of saving her — for '• his own Mechoacan " did not 
contribute a soldier to the army, nor did the contributions in funds 
by the clergy of Valladolid, at all correspond with the demands 
and expectations of the government. While other bishoprics 
were highly commended for their liberality, his was strongly con- 
demned as niggardly in its appropriations, and even threatened 
with official and popular displeasure. 

Creditable as is the intellectual character of Melchor Ocampo to 
himself and state; it would seem that he had made a monopoly, at 
least of geographical knowledge. It is true, our opportunities for 
judging of the intelligence and capacities of the people were lim- 
ited ; but the interrogatories of Senor Gomez Peyrelades, the 
editor of " El Republicano," who, from his position, ought to 
know something of tlie world beyond the limits of the Chinese 
shoe, in which his faculties seemed to be cooped up, and which 
may be regarded as an iiidex to the acquirements of the educated 
portion of the population, we could arrive at no very favorable 
estimate of their sprighiliness. Among other equally silly ques- 
tions, he asked us in a most grave and apparently candid man- 
ner through his associate, '•' If all the United Slates embraced as 
much territory as the province of Mechoacan, and if the popula- 
tion exceeded three millions." He remarked that he had " recently 
had a dispute with the bishop, who contended that the United 
States was larger, both in extent of territory and population, than 
the whole of the republic of Mexico, but he had imputed such an 
extravagant idea to the priest's ignorance." The fellow's sym- 
pathy for the bishop's ignorance vastly exceeded his own knowl- 
edge ; and when we assured him that our country was much 
more than double as large as all the Mexican provinces, that it 

contained a population of twenty millions, and could at any time 

7* 



78 donnavan's adventures 

send out an army of three million men, he began to think we wished 
to intimidate him by an exaggerated statement. He was event- 
ually induced to " swallow the truth," however, our assertions 
being supported by the evidence of his partner, Mons. Buffam, 
who had heard something of the power and resources of the Uni- 
ted States, in England, during the war of 1812, and had himself 
touched at New York, at a later period. 

But the most difficult matter of coniprehension to the editor 
was, how " whig generals " should be placed at the head of the 
American army, while the administration was opposed to the 
whigs — and when Corwin's speech against the war was received 
through "El Monitor," from the city of Mexico, we were asked 
if Senor Corwin would not immediately raise a company of volvn- 
teers, issue a pronu7iciarnento and attack the president! The 
editor was delighted with the speech, and republished it, by in- 
serting some two columns daily. He esteemed Senor Corwin as 
far superior to Senor Polk, in political sagacity and eloquence of 
language. But poor fellow, he knows but little of the enlightened 
state of parties in this country, where officials can abuse each 
other with impunity, and where greater revolutions have been con- 
summated by the pen than were ever accomplished by the sword. 

On the 12th of March, intelligence of the battle of Buena Vis- 
ta was received at the office of " El Republicano." The official 
despatches of Santa Anna, representing the total defeat of the 
American forces, were hailed by manifestations of unbounded 
joy, by the people, though the governor did not participate in the 
demonstrations of respect paid to Santa Anna, by a few of the 
more fanatical adherents of the war party. At night, rockets 
were sent heavenward, till the very stars had to " hide their dimin- 
ished heads," and the bells of more than forty churches pealed" 
the notes of the triumph of the cross. We began to think that 
father Miller was not so far wrong after all, in his elucidation of 
Daniel's Vision, for if a Mexican army could defeat Gen. Taylor 
and his volunteers with half a chance, there was evidently some- 
thing wrong in the elements. For some days we were compelled 
to credit the reports, till the arrival of a bundle of New Orleans 
papers, which they always graciously permitted us to peruse, 
brought a reliable statement; and caused a very perceptible elon- 
gation in the swarthy visages of the more intelligent Mexicans, 
V ho found they had shouted long " before they were out of the 
woods," but they sufl'ered the great mass to enjoy the bliss of ig- 
norance, and encouraged the conclusion that they were invincible. 

It sihould not be inferred from this premature manifestation of 
joy at the supposed success of their arms, that the people of the 
province of Mechoacan are decidedly hostile to the Unittd States. 
The truth is, they know nothing of our people, country, oi insii- 



IN MEXICO. 79 

tutions ; and the ignorant dupes of a kw blind leaders — the 
victims of passion and impulse, they prefer to rejoice on any occa- 
sion. In the last presidential canvass tlieir legislature voted unan- 
imously for Herrara, the peace candidate. 



CHAPTER XI. 

Easter, and its Amusements — Visit to the Cathedral — Description of the Edifice 
— Our Employment — The Spanish Alphabet — Change in Discipline — Im- 
provement in Diet — Masticaiinsr Monlieijs — The Ladies — Their Hospitality 
and Accomplishments — Love and its Doings. 

Easter came. Again all the markets, shops, and stores were 
closed ; though the holidays, (and Easter is the greatest of them 
all,) instead of being a relief to us, were oppressive. Imme- 
diately after morning mass, there was a general run, ride, and 
drive out of the city to a neighboring palmetto and cocoa, where 
tents were erected, plays established, and joy and pleasure reigned 
supreme. This continued for eight days, and at the end of the 
amusements, all went to the church-yard, where every grave bears 
its name and particular sign. Here wine, pulque, bread and 
steak, and whatsoever else will gratify the stomach, is brought, 
and they eat and drink over the graves — drink complimentary 
toasts to the dead, and amuse themselves rurally and morally. In 
this manner, they recompense themselves for the long forty days' 
fast, in which their religion prevents them from eating meat, eggs, 
butter, milk, and cheese, and during which period we lost a good 
deal more flesh than Shylock demanded of the Merchant of 
Venice. 

More out of " familiar impertinence," than any other motive, 
we solicited the privilege of going to church on Easter Sunday. 
Our request was promptly and unexpectedly granted, and we went 
more to gratify our curiosity, than from any hope of being seriously 
benefited. Our masters employing an escort of twelve men, we 
were for the first time since our confinement, permitted to enter 
the streets of the city. There are over forty churches in Valla- 
dolid, but we had signified our desire to see the cathedral. Pass- 
ing by the church of San Francisco, whose triple portals might 
be considered fine specimens of the florid Gothic of the fifteenth 
century, and whose wooden doors, elaborately and beautifully 
carved, are certainly well worthy the attention of the curious; we 



80 donnavan's adventures 

hastened on to see the finest building in the city ; a church that, 
in size, purity of style, and excellent workmanship, far surpasses 
the cathedral in Cincinnati, and would vie with Trinity church in 
New York. Indeed, it is regarded as among the finest Gothic 
edifices in the world, and certainly its effect is fine beyond de- 
scription. In twenty-five years the building was commenced and 
completed, and was dedicated at the beginning of the 19th century. 
Being built before the revolution, when the country enjoyed repose, 
the same plan was pursued from beginning to end, and there was a 
simplicity attained — a certain kind of judicious finish and orna- 
ment, that gives to this mass of " stone and mortar " such an air 
of completeness — of being done — that, as we looked upon the 
work, we involuntarily uttered, "Amen." The central tower is 
250 feet in height, and is composed wholly of open arches and 
tracery, crowned by an octangular band of flower-de-luce. It is 
certainly the most graceful and beautiful tower I ever beheld. 
But the interior is, if possible, more imposing than the exterior. 
The extreme length is 440 feet, and the height 100. The finest 
specimens of Spanish oil paintings adorn the walls, while the 
altar is of beautiful niarble, and the railing, balustrades, and images 
are of pure gold. I do not know how to describe the elegant, quiet 
simplicity of the interior, that, in spite of prejudices, charmed me 
more and more, till I forcibly tore myself away from gazing. 
The light is peculiarly strong, owing to the immense size of the 
clerestory windows, and yet the rich coloring of the stained glass 
softens it down to the most agreeable mellowness. 

While we stared at the church, we were stared at in turn by 
the congregation, and fearing the priest would become jealous of 
the attention the comparative lightness of our complexions elicited, 
as soon as the last thundering notes of the organ concluded the 
vespers, we returned, passing through the public plaza, and taking 
a view of the Governor's palace. 

We were fast growing in the favor and esteem of our new 
masters. True to the policy we adopted on the first night of our 
captivity, we omitted no opportunity to flatter their vanity, and 
had not only succeeded in inducing the belief that our respect for 
them was unbounded, but that we had become so allied to their 
customs, as to have little desire to return home. These declara- 
tions were received in better faith than they were made, so far as 
the author is concerned, yet they were not relied on with the most 
implicit confidence. The trifling annoyances we had at first 
encountered in becoming familiar with the case, the alphabet, and 
the accented letters, were now avoided, and we could com[)Ose in 
Spanish with ahnost as much facility as in English type. Indeed, 
the alphabets of the two languages are almost identical — the 
former dispensing with our w, and adopting three double letters 



IN MEXICO. iM 

— ch,ll, and rr — increasing the number of characters to twenty- 
eight. At our suggestion, the cases had been placed upon stands, 
the type completely cleansed, and we had introduced rollers, 
which were as great an innovation upon balls, as our steamboats 
were upon " broadhorns " — we had renovated '• El Republicano," 
so that even its most familiar acquaintances could scarcely recog- 
nize it. In fact, we had produced a revolution in the appearance 
of things generally, quite creditable to our ingenuity. And our 
enterprise redounded greatly to our advantage. These little acts 
of kindness, which cost nothing, resulted in alTecting a complete 
change in our prison discipline. We were fitted out in new linen 
gear — each adopting the French blouse, in imitation of the " bet- 
ter classes." The hours of labor were curtailed from twelve to 
eight per day, and instead of bringing our tortillas, chili, and bean 
soup to our prison room, the entrance to which was always 
secured, and feeding us like caged animals, we were permitted to 
take our meals with the families, on the second floor of the com- 
modious building. These were courtesies that our most sanguine 
anticipations had not reached ; and we had been so long accus- 
tomed to dining like Turks, that we felt really awkward and 
embarrassed in resuming such weapons as a knife and fork at the 
table ! But the excellence of the diet surprised us more than all. 
Aside from the immoderate use of pepper and garlic, which com- 
pletely usurps the original flavor of every dish — it was such as 
to excite the admiration of an epicure. Added to the usual lux- 
uries to be found on the tables of hotels in the United States, we 
here found every variety of tropical fruits — oranges, figs, bana- 
nas, yams, etc., besides monkeys and parrots. At first, we con- 
fess we felt some compunctions of conscience in devouring such a 
delicacy as the carcass of a dead monkey — alarmed at such an 
advance towards cannibalism. But the force of example soon 
reconciled our misgivings, and the very idea, at first revolting, 
became a luxury. Monkey stock is not to say plenty in the prov- 
ince of Mechoacan ; yet they abound in Yucatan, and being 
taken when very young, they are fattened like pigs, and sold in 
the markets. They are an excellent dish, possessing a flavor far 
superior to that of our squirrel, and highly prized by the Mexi- 
cans. The parrot, when fat and served in the same manner, 
could not be distinguished from the American pheasant. Choco- 
late is a favorite beverage, and is manufactured, though not to 
any great extent, in Valladolid. 

But the ladies — it would be ungallant to leave them unnoticed. 
In our new relation, we were ushered into the society of no less 
than six — the wife and daughter of Mons. Buffam, and the wife 
and three daughters of Senor Gomez Peyrelades — the latter, all 
of pure Castilian blood. In age the young ladies varied from 14 



82 donnavan's adventures 

up to 26, only one of whom could be called really handsome. 
But they soon became the most famihar and inquisitive creatures 
I had ever seen in any country. I would recommend all limid 
bachelors to go to Mexico at once. They spoke the Spanish and 
French languages fluently, and had a slight smattering of English. 
It was not long before they commenced paying us some very hand- 
some compliments, and apprised us of the important fact that they 
— having understood we were both entirely white — had been 
in ecstacies ever since our arrival, to have us introduced into the 
family, and that they had at last succeeded in accomplishing their 
wishes. To us there was something rather mysterious connected 
with all these new tokens of hospitality, but we " bore our blush- 
ing honors meekly." We had fallen upon strange times, and the 
dark shadows which had hung gloomily over our destiny, were fast 
receding before a brighter future. 

For who is impervious to the dark eyes and soft smiles of wo- 
man ? Our names and awkward manners afforded them curiosity 
and amusement — for the Spanish ladies are excessively polite, in 
their own way. My name commencing with Don, I was regarded 
as a descendant from the Spanish nobility — but it was difficult for 
me to reconcile such a conclusion under existing circumstances. 
For aside from my humble position as a slave, I was mortified by 
being frequently reminded of the fact that I was not so buena as 
Senor Cunningham. This partiality, however just, I attributed in 
some measure to having imprudently revealed my connubial respon- 
sibility in the United States. My friend Cunningham had yet no 
such desirable encumbrances, though his prospects were becoming 
flattering. The large black eye, the dark expressive glance, the 
soft blood-tinged, olive glowing complexion of Policarpa Peyrelades, 
the belle of the establishment, made him unwillingly confess the" 
majesty of Spanish beauty. And though he readily acknowledged 
that the soft, blue eyes, and delicate loveliness of his own country- 
women, could awaken more tender feelings of interest, he would 
not deny or dispute the commanding superiority of this dark- 
eyed and finely formed damsel. And she was sensible, too. She 
had even learned, what precocious children in our own " best cir- 
cles " often do, that her father was a fool. Without discussing 
the justness of her conclusion, we will present some evidence of her 
accomplishments. Cervantes was her Shakspeare, most of whose 
productions she had committed to memory. Besides singing " di- 
vinely," and playing on the guitar and piano, she was a poetess! 
Her eifusions frequently graced the columns of " El Republicano," 
and some of which, in our uninitiated judgment, possessed decided 
merit. The passion of love inspires a passion for poetry ; and be- 
ing beyond the influence of either, I will be pardoned for intro- 
ducing a specimen of her production. The lines were addressed 



IN MEXICO. 83 

to my friend Cunningham, after he had so far advanced as to 
assure her that she was his. 

FIRST LOVE. 

TRANSLATED FROM EL REPUBLICAN©. 

*' Guard well within thy memory the love of early days, 
Nor seek in winter's snowy breast affection's flame to raise ; 
For the loves which fill the guileless heart, while from suspicion free, 
Are dearer far than after ones, how true soe'er they be. 

"The cherished loves of life's young morn, when every thought glows warm, 
And fills the clouds with sapphire towers and many a fairy form ; 
Oh, lose them not by cold neglect, or hope not to regain. 
The plant of love once chilled with frost will never spring again. 

"The dream of passion's spring-time hour — the full heart's overflow. 
Chilled by the world's cold frown are hushed, and quenched their genial glow, 
And life's dull, dread realities, in all their bitter truth. 
Impart to us the lesson learned — ' We have no second youth.' 

" Go wander through the labyrinths of fashion's giddy throng. 
And view gay pleasure's masquerade, or list her syren song ; 
Taste every cup of bliss, and roam where fancy's voice may call. 
Yet shall the thought of ' love's young dream ' be dearer than them all. 

"Cherish thy first young love, then, as a principle — a part 
Of that pure bliss which heaven itself enshrines within the heart ; 
It is the clear untainted fount of undefined desire. 
The substance and the essence pure of the Promethean fire." 



CHAPTER XII. 

JVews of the Investment of Vera Cruz — Battle of Cerro Gordo — Character of 
Cunningham — Influence of Love — Unfavorable Change in Treatment — 
Escape from Valladolid — Passing the Gates — Departure for Qiieretaro — 
Tomatoes — A Rancho — Hospitality of the Women — Baking Tortillas — 
Assumption of anew Character — Rio Grande de Santiago — Banyan Trees — 
Moun lain Scenery — An American Physician — His Character and Kindness 
— Education of Lizards — City of Queretaro — A Mexican Diligence — Ar- 
rival at the City of Mexico. 

Intelligence communicating the defeat of the Mexican forces 
at Cerro Gordo, following the receipt of the official statement which 
announced the investment of Vera Cruz, by the army under Gen. 
Scott, did not fail to produce sensations of alarm among the ranks 
of the war party at Valladolid, and it was even conceded by the 



84 donnavan's adventures 

editor of " El Republicano " that the capital was speedily destined 
to fall into the hands of the invading army. Although our situa- 
tion had become comparatively agreeable, save the close confine- 
ment to which we were subjected, we could not anticipate the 
consequences that might ensue to us, either in the event of a sub- 
jugation of the country, or a cessation of hostilities. Isolated and 
remote as we were from the capital, our condition could not be 
made known there. During the period of seven months we had 
been prisoners within the power and at the mercy of the enemy, 
we had never been permitted to communicate a syllable to our 
friends. We did not ask to transmit our confidential thoughts, but 
merely to apprise our friends of our fate and confinement. This 
privilege, however, they would grant us under no considerations. 
Nor were we allowed to see or communicate with our own coun- 
trymen, several of whom we had learned were residing in the city ; 
but who, had they known and been disposed to reveal our situa- 
tion, would have been detected, as no communication can leave 
the city without first having passed through the hands of an in- 
spector, clothed with authority to suppress whatever his judgment 
may dictate. 

It is certainly mortifying enough to have one's genius eternally 
cramped within the narrow limits of our best printing offices in the 
United States, but in Mexico he will find its expansions most 
rigidly prescribed. After four months' labor, without any com- 
pensation but the bare supply of " food and raiment," we had 
grown not only weary of our situation, irksome and monotonous 
as was the routine of our duties, but daily experienced an increas- 
ing desire to return to our own country. Added to all this, a 
partiality for my friend Cunningham, which could not be concealed, 
had in a measure alienated him from n)e. He was one of those" 
.frank, ardent, high-minded companions, to whom a soul might be 
entrusted ; and his ready fund of wit and sentiment, as occasion 
required, had served to beguile many a weary hour, in the long 
night of our mutual perils. From the nature of our position, we 
had formed a kind of alliance, offensive and defensive ; and amid 
the hum of the foreign language, for a time incomprehensible, had 
indulged in the sweet sounds of our mother tongue. Fellow- 
sufferers, engaged in kindred pursuits, linked in the same uncer- 
tain destiny, we had shared each other's joys and sorrows, and 
studied each other's domestic habits, somewhat after the amiable 
manner of the Siamese twins. But the man was now " in love," 
and his character had undergone a total change. Mankind are 
too apt to conclude that others can feel the same interest in their 
idividual affairs, as they do themselves — especially is it so with 
lovers, who suppose the world is as completely convulsed as their 
own overflowing hearts ; and who, when they fairly surrender, the 



IN MEXICO. 85 

victims of that passion, are about as fit for society as a Mexican is 
for the enjoyment of enUghtened liberty. They are " company" 
for no one but themselves, creatini^ as they do, a kind of world 
within themselves. I could not censure or reprove my friend, for 
I had been a victim to the same influence — nor did I wonder that 
the citadel of his heart was no more successful in resisting an 
attack from the fortress of the fair Policarpa, than were her coun- 
trymen from the well poised charges of the " army of occupation." 
Yet I was the sufferer. While he was cared for and caressed, I 
became neglected. Mine was a most unenviable lot — shut up 
in prison, and shut out from the last claini I had upon human 
sympathy — I stood "solitary and alone, amid the jeers of an in- 
constant world." While at night I was securely locked in the 
narrow room in the garret, which we had jointly occupied, to sleep 
upon a rude bed made of strips of cowhide interlaced, he was con- 
ducted to better apartments, to sleep with I know not whom, for 
travelling through this world " makes strange bed-fellows," and in 
Mexico I have known " broad hints " to be given even by fathers. 

Under such an unfavorable combination of circumstances, it is 
not to be wondered at, that if from no higher motives than to 
avoid the constant evidences of the inferiority of my position, I 
should eagerly embrace the first opportunity to escape. On the 
night of the 3(1 of May (1847,) from some cause, which will 
probably never be satisfactorily explained even to myself, I awoke 
abou! the hour of midnight, and found the door of my room un- 
locked and open. This room, which had no window, and but the 
one door, comtnunicated with the printing office, where, after 
drawing on my new Spanish habiliments, I procured the small 
cords from several bundles of printing paper, and tying them 
together, carefully secured one end near a window in the hall of 
the office, and taking the other, through that aperture, I let myself 
quietly down into the street. It was the first time I had ever 
found myself dangling in the air at tlie end of a rope, and I trust 
may be the last — though I confess it was " pulling hemp " to 
some purpose. It was an undignified, unenviable, and indelicate 
position, and describing it I must have the licence of undi'^'^nified 
terms. The truth is, what little of dignity I ever possessed was 
pretty well compromised while in a state of menial servitude. 

Free in the city, I yet had to pass the gates, which I managed 
v^'ithout difficulty, through the knowledge I had acquired of the 
Spanish language. During our confinement, I had carelessly made 
enquiry about the roads to the city of Mexico, Qneretaro, and 
various other places. Of the gate keeper 1 enquired the road to 
the city of Mexic ), but instead of following it, to avoid pursuit, I 
took the road to Q,ueretaro, and with a peculiar mingling of hooe 
and fear, bid adieu to the city of Valladolid. I did not experi- 
8 



86 donnavan's adventures 

ence the confusion which characterizes the conduct of a culprijt, 
for I felt conscious of my rights, if ever I should have the good 
fortune to recover them ; and this stratagem may have prevenied 
my being overtaken and re-captured. Being an accompHshed 
pedestrian, with an extensive practice, I must have travelled some 
twenty miles before daylight ; when leaving the road, I secured 
myself for the day among the chaperal, where I had the company 
of a family of lizards as numerous as the John Smiths. Whether 
pursued or not, I neither learned nor cared, after escaping. 

Taking up the line of march, early on the second night I came 
in sight of the town of Charo, which I avoided by a kind of semi- 
circle zigzag manoeuvre through the mountain paths of the Cordil- 
leras. Here I met with the good fortune to encounter a tomato 
patch, a vegetable of spontaneous growth, and on which I gratified 
my appetite and subsisted for the first three days. On the morn- 
ing of the third day after my escape, arriving in the delightful val- 
ley of the Rio Grande de Santiago, I ventured to make a call at a 
rancho. Here I found the miserable looking excuses for men 
stretched out upon their floors in a state of profound somnolency. 
Permitting them to enjoy their repose, the ladies most generously 
and hospitably prepared an excellent breakfast, consisting of veni- 
son, fregoles, chili, chocolate, and tortillas. The latter is a kind 
of corn cake, which is the only bread found among the inhabitants 
of Mexico, out of the towns and cities. The process of making 
them I had never before witnessed, and the Senoritas, although 
they did not know me from Adam, seemed to take great pleasure 
in initiating me into the mysteries of their manufacture. The 
common Indian corn is, in the first place, put into an earthen vessel 
containing lime-water, where it is soaked to remove the husk — it 
is afterwards crushed between two stones, shaped for the purpose, 
into a thick paste, n)ade into flat cakes and baked on a clay grid- 
dle. A very liberal sprinkling of pulverized chili (a small red pep- 
per from which cayenne is manufactured,) is usually introduced 
to the dough, making it " go off like hot cakes" in reality. 

The ladies were as inquisitive as the veriest Yankee from Ver- 
mont; but I had prepared a tale for them. Robberies being of com- 
mon and almost every day occurrence there, I represented myself 
as an English merchant from Guanajuato, returning from Zacatula, 
on the Pacific, and as having been attacked by banditti, who stripped 
me of not only my money, but the mustang on which I had been 
mounted, and came within a *' squiirel's jump," of taking my life, 
in the bargain. Englishmen stand high in the estimation of both 
the people and government, and their sympathies for me were un- 
bounded. I made an apology for being unable to remunerate them, 
when they gave me to understand that it was an insult to Mexi- 
can character to offer such a thing, even were I loaded down with 
jewels. 



IN MEXICO. 87 

l^eaving the rancho, as I proceeded down the valley of the San- 
tiago river, I passed through a large grove of banyan trees. This 
tree has been regarded as one of the wonders of the world, and is 
certainly among nature's most admirable productions. It is a 
growth only of those climes where she has lavished her bounties in 
the greatest profusion and variety. The main trunk throws forth 
its branches in long, hanging, and at first, tender fibres, which on 
reaching the earth root, and become in their turn parent trunks, 
sending forth tiieir own branches. A grove thus formed, presents 
one of the most beautiful and luxuriant views that can be imagined. 
The leaves are large, soft, and of a lively green ; the fruit is a 
small fig, when ripe of a bright scarlet, affording sustenance to 
monkeys, squirrels, peacocks, parrots, and birds of various kinds 
which dwell among their branches, and were indulging in their 
peculiar antics, as I passed. 

Upon crossing the Santiago, and entering the province of Quer- 
etaro, I again approached the mountains, the defiles of which, at 
first open, soon became so contracted as scarcely to leave a pas- 
sage, while the hills on either side became wilder and more lofty.. 
On their surface was a low brushwood of oak and holly, scarcely 
hiding the dark rocks that were piled loosely above one another,, 
and ready to crush down at the slightest impulse. Within these- 
narrow ravines, mountain rivulets were collected in strong currents, 
which rattled among masses of huge rock, and often swept, in 
broad flakes of foam, across the narrow road which wound through 
the valleys. 

In approaching the city of Queretaro, through the province of the 
same name, I found the country more thickly populated than any 
other portion of Mexico I had visited. After receiving such tokens- 
of regard at the first rancho at which I had visited, I did not hesi- 
tate to call at others, and on relating the same plausible story, 
received similar demonstrations of kindness. Within two miles of 
the city I was overtaken by a gentleman on horseback. He was 
riding the noblest looking animal I had seen in the country, and 
from his complexion I was at once convinced that he was not a 
native, although he addressed me in Spanish. We had proceeded 
but a short distance, till, arriving at his residence, he invited me in. 
Fearing to enter the city of Queretaro, and hailing this as the only 
source through which to receive the necessary information by which 
my course might be regulated, I availed myself of his politeness. 
Upon a mutual interchange of the ordinary inquiries, I found him 
to be a native of Maryland, and a practising physician, who had. 
amassed immense wealth by his profession during his residence in^ 
Mexico, where he was living in princely style. I had found another 
bright spot, an oasis, in the great desert of my perilous pilgrimage. 
To him I revealed my true character, and the history of my adven- 



88 donnavan's adventures 

tures. Bein^^ an American, a man of generous sympathies, and 
more than ordinary sagacity, he readily proposed to assist me, with- 
out at all compromising his own safely. After my journey of 1 12 
miles, I remained with the doctor, (Stevenson,) during the follow- 
ing day to refresh myself. When we had despatched an unpep- 
pered dinner, and were enjoying our cigars under a broad spread- 
ing tamarind tree, his lizards came down to repel the attacks of the 
mosquitos. It is astonishing what education will accomplish. The 
doctor's kindness for animals has developed instincts and awakened 
affections that would not discredit a race of intellectual beings. 
When he returns from the city, his beautiful fan-tailed pigeons 
come with their familiar greetings to his carriage and perch upon 
his shoulders, and his lizards ju tip from the trees into his hands. 
He related an incident which occurred several years since, while 
he resided near Vera Cruz, showing the remarkable instinct of 
these reptiles. A huge lizard that had the misfortune to lose his 
tail by some accident, marched into his office with the dismembered 
limb in his mouih, and approached him as if seeking relief! This 
looks like rather a remarkable " snake story," but is nevertheless 
asserted by him as a fact, and he regards the circumstance as a 
tribute to his surgical skill. 

The succeeding morning found us driving to the city of Quere- 
taro. Instructing me to retain the assumed character of an Eng- 
lish merchant, on our arrival at the city I was introduced as such, 
though my ignorance of the niceties of trade and commerce, poorly 
qualified me for sustaining the position. I played the somewhat 
difficult part, however, without suspicion, so far as I know, and 
through the influence of Dr. Stevenson, I was tendered a seat in a 
diligence, which was to leave in a few days for the city of Mexico, ~ 
in company with a real English merchant. This arrangement per- 
fected, after furnishing me with means, and a note of introduction 
to Mr. Black, the American consul, he left me enjoying high hopes 
and spirits, and a heart overflowing with gratitude ; as it was then 
regarded as certain that Gen. Scott and his army were " revelling 
in the halls of the Montezumas." 

During the evening we took a stroll through the city, which sur- 
passes in point of beauty, cleanliness, and laziness, all others in 
Mexico. The buildings are handsome and commodious, and ex- 
hibit a refinement of taste in their construction seldom met with 
in that country ; while the streets are wide, well paved, with spa- 
cious sidewalks. Included within its walls are three large public 
plazns, beautifully adorned with shrubbery and a rich variety of 
flowers. The population is supposed to reach 50,000 ; and the 
magnificence of its public buildings almost challenge competition. 
Among iis most splendid and extensive public works, is a stone 
aqueduct, by which the city is supplied with water, and which is 



IN MEXICO. 89 

some ten or twelve miles in length ; and the great convent of Santa 
Clara, said to occupy a circumference of twelve thousand feet. 

On the morning of the 14th, we took our seats in a Mexican 
diligence, which resembles more than anything else, a common 
bedstead inclosed with green painted canvass, on wheels, with four 
mules hitched abreast ; and passing through the unimportant 
towns of San Juan, Huitoke, Tula, and Guatitlan, we arrived safely 
in the city of Mexico on the iCth of May. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Citri of Mexico — Puhlic Grounds — Public Buildings — The Mint — Coining 
Gold — Hotels — Theatres — JVeil'spaper Press of the City — Literature — 
Society — Manners and Customs — Dress — Suburbs — Cemetery — Population. 

I WAS disappointed in my ideal picture of the city of Mexico. 
Like many others, I had imagined it to be a counterpart of the 
great Venice across the waters, only with the additional attraclions 
of fl(jating paradises, in the shape of flower gardens, instead of 
gondolas, upon the bosom of its watery streets. But the city has 
been cruelly modernized in this particular, and there is little of 
that romance we read of, justly belonging to it now. It 
occupies only part of the seat of the ancient Tenochtitlan — the 
city of the Montezumas — and instead of being built on a cluster 
of islands, is at least two miles east of the lake of Tezcuco. The 
valley or table land on which it is located, is 7,500 feet above the 
level of the sea, and about one hundred and fifty miles in circum- 
ference. This valley is surrounded by mountains, ranging in height 
from three to nine thousand feet. In geniality of climate, and 
fertility of soil, it is almost unequalled in the wide world. Portions 
of it is covered with the most luxuriant herbage, and timber of 
almost every size and species. The cypress here reaches enor- 
mous dimensions, sometimes measuring twenty feet in diameter. 
The city has been represented as being the finest on the American 
continent, and in some respects certainly is so. It occupies a vast 
area — the walls by which it is surrounded, enclosing a square 
about five miles in extent eitfier way. I have seen as handsome 
buildings, and as beautiful trees, but, altogether, the gently undu^ 
lating, yet nearly level plain, the uniformity in the height of the 
buildings, the long straight streets, crossing at right angles ; and 
above all, the magnificent public grounds, artificial lakes and canals, 
I niust say that, in these respects, it presents attractions far beyond 
any of the cities of the United States, The architecture is of the 



90 donnavan's adventures 

most fascinating style. The buildings generally, are constructed 
of porphyritic and basaltic stone, from the neighboring mountains, 
rather roughly hewn, and are from two to three stories in height, 
with flat roofs and terraces. Some of the fronts are of porcelain, 
laid off in large squares, in which are painted pictures representing 
" Christ crucified," " the ascension," the " Virgin of Guadaloupe," 
&c. But as a general thing, the fronts are of smooth stone, painted 
some ornamental color. The gates, balustrades, and railing, are 
of iron beautifully bronzed — while the fronts are adorned with 
corridors and balconies — constructed of the same material, and 
richly ornamented with fruit and flower trees. The floors of the 
houses are universally of tile or brick. The principal streets are 
from two to three miles in length, somewhat roughly paved. They 
are not constructed on the same plan of ours, with side walks and 
gutters, but gradually descend from each side to the centre, where 
there is a drain, covered by broad flag stones, which may be re- 
moved at pleasure. These gutters are drained by a large sewer, 
some twelve miles in length, cut through the mountains, and 
emptying into the river Tula ; which also serves to carry off the 
water when the lakes overflow, during the rainy season, and which 
prevents inundation — the surface of the water in the lakes being 
higher than the streets of the city. This outlet also affords a 
waste-way for the canal of the lake of Chalco, which in part sup- 
plies the city with water. After the European style, each street 
presents its particular class of shops — the jewellers are confined 
to one street, the dry-goods men to another, grocers to still another, 
&c., while fruits and flowers of every variety and hue, are to be 
found in nearly all. 

But the public grounds ot the city constitute a great "attraction. 
They will compare with those of Boston, New York, Philadelphia,- 
and New Orleans, just about as the " Eighth street space " in the 
"Queen city " will compare to the "New York Battery." The chief 
plaza in the centre of the city, is one of the finest business squares 
to be seen in any city in the world. It contains some twelve or 
fifteen acres, and is beautifully paved with large hewn stone. It is 
surrounded by public buildings — the cathedral occupying the east 
side, built upon the spot where stood the ancient temple of the sun. 
On the west is the bazaar, and a long row of public offices, adorned 
with piazzas which project over the side-walk — the national pal- 
ace on the north, formerly occupied by the viceroys of Spain, ^but 
more recently by the presidents ; and on the south the public 
market and museum. But the rural retreats about the city furnish 
a far greater source of admiration. Groves are liberally inter- 
spersed, at appropriate distances, containing from fifteen to seventy- 
five acres, planted with every variety of trees, shrubbery, and flow- 
ers, and in some of which artificial lakes are seen, abounding in 



IN MEXICO. 91 

gold fish, that wildly sport in their pure, native element. Among 
these enclosures, the Alamenda, near the western limits of the city, 
is the most beautiful, and whose gravelled walks, odoriferous 
flowers, and marble fountains, dispel all thoughts of the indolent 
and half-starved occupants without. It is a kind of Eden scene ; 
and while I gazed upon it, I did not wonder that poor, persecuted 
Eve should have been tempted, for where every thing was clad in 
the rich profusion of beauty, who could think of sin and misery ! 
Besides these, there are numerous private gardens, of magnificent 
beauty, handsomely laid out, with their flagged walks, bordered 
with hundreds of luxuriant pots of flowers whose bloom never dies. 
The public buildings are very numerous, and more than two 
hundred spires proudly peer above the city. Perhaps the most 
striking of all the characteristics of their architecture, are the 
pyramidal masses of masonry, far exceeding in height every other 
part of the edifice, between which the portals, not only those that' 
form the main entrance, but the passage between its courts, are 
placed. In these apparently useless masses, the architect seems 
to have sought to imitate the hewn face of the lofty rocks in 
which the entrance of the excavations are usually formed. Es- 
pecially is this the case in regard to the building called the Pala- 
cio, but which resembles more a penitentiary than the abode of a 
sovereign. It has but three doors, opening on the first floor — its 
windows are small and barbarously arranged — and altogether, it 
is the most tasteless and ill-shaped building in the city. The 
halls of the Senate and House of Deputies, are also on the second 
floor of this uncomely edifice, besides the offices of the ministers 
of finance, foreign relations, heads of departments, etc. It may 
be, however, that the cathedral, so far eclipsing this building in 
point of beauty and splendor, causes one to view it with severer 
criticism than he otherwise would. From the descriptions I had 
read of this cathedral, and from the magnificence of similar build- 
ings in the inferior cities of Mexico, which I had seen, I was in- 
ducted to form opinions of its splendor on too extensive a scale 
to be realized. In proportions only, it excels the cathedral at 
Valladolid — in beauty of architecture and grace, it cannot com- 
pare with the latter. It occupies an area of five hundred feel in 
depth, by four hundred and fifty in width, with a tower that com- 
mands a view of the entire city, and its suburbs for miles in cir- 
cumference, including the lakes of Tezcuco, Zumpango, San 
Christoval, and Chalco. The walls are of immense thickness, 
and constructed of solid stone, while the deep, tall windows, with 
their finely painted glass, impart to it rather an inviting appear- 
ance. Yet one's admiration scarcely commences till he has en- 
tered within the walls. Here it is that he is awed by the enor- 
mous wealth and splendor of the interior. In richness of deco- 



92 donnavan's adventures 

rations, it must surpass any similar edifice on the continent — at 
least any tliat I have visited. The main altar, near the centre, is 
of polished marble, ornamented with solid gold and silver, sur- 
mounted by numerous images manufactured of the same njaterial, 
and which, notwitlistanding the costliness of their composition, 
have to perform the menial service of candle-sticks. Extensive 
lines oi' balustrades also surround the choir, and images of golden 
saints and angels are stuck against the walls with a prodigality 
that would induce the beholder to believe the wealth of empires 
had here been lavished to gratify the gods. Three costly images 
of full grown and handsome virgins, clad in petticoats and short 
aprons, strung with emeralds, pearls, and diamonds, occupy con- 
spicuous positions, where they receive the addresses and adora- 
tions of the high and the low, the rich and the poor, notwithstand- 
ing their countless wealth and aristocratic attire — religion making 
no distinctions ; they are to be approached by alL 

Among the other pubhc buildings are the Hospital, instituted 
by Cortez, immediately after the conquest, and which yet stands 
an admirable monument to the munificence of the great con- 
queror, the Franciscan Convent, the Public Library, and the Mint. 
The latter is the most extensive establishment of the kind in the 
world. It employs 3000 hands, and has coined ^100,000 in a 
single day. There are to be found among its superintendents 
several Yankees,, from one of whom I learned the interesting 
process of coining gold. Most of the gold found in Mexico is 
brought to this mint to be coined, as silver only is coined at the 
mines of Valenciana (near Guanajuato,) and Zacatecas. 1 he 
gold dust is usually melted into bullion before it is brought to the 
mint ; to find the value, each parcel has to be assayed. The assay- 
ing is the most curious and scientific business connected with the^ 
mint. The gold dust being cast into bars, the bars are weighed 
accurately, and a piece cut off for the assayer, who melts it with 
double its weight in silver, and three times its weight in lead. It 
is melted in small, cups made of bone ashes^ which absorb all the 
lead, while a large portion of silver is extracted by anoihev 
process, and the sample is then rolled out to a thin shaving, placed 
in a small vial, called a mattrass, containing nitric acid. The 
mattrasses are then placed on a furnace, boiled for some time,, 
when the liquid is renewed, and the process repeated, till the acid 
has extracted all the silver and other mineral substance,, leaving 
the sample pure gold. By the difference in the weight before,, 
and after assaying, the value is estimated. After this the bars 
are melted, refined, and being mixed with a due proportion of 
alloy, (equal portions of silver and copper,^ they are drawn inta 
long strips, cut into round pieces with a sort of punch, and milled,, 
or the edge slightly raised, when they are placed in a stamping 



IN MEXICO. 93 

• 

press, and come forth perfect coins. The mint in the city, as well 
as other similar establishments, belongs to the government, to 
which, altogether, they are a great source of revenue. 

The hotels in the city are numerous, and some of them very 
extensive and well-regulated. I have seldom partaken of more 
elegant or sumptuous entertainments than at the public house at 
which I there stopped. The table was loaded with a profusion 
of meats, fruits, confectionaries, and wines. The services of 
china were rich and beautiful, and the courses followed each 
other in succession, perhaps to the amount of ten or fifteen in 
number. Such of the private dwelling houses as I entered, which 
were few, although of splendid exterior and spacious apartments, 
did not seem to be as well furnished as those of the United States 
usually are in our cities. 

There are three theatres in the city, all of which are nightly 
thronged. The " Principal," which is visited by the military offi- 
cers and aristocracy generally, is an edifice of some credit to the 
drama, but the other two, the " Puente Quebrada," and " Nuevo 
Mexico," are anything else. I did not visit either, but was in- 
formed that the representations were, if any thing, in a more 
deplorable state than the buildings. They constitute, however, 
the chief source of amusement for a certain class, as bull fights in 
the city have been almost entirely abandoned. 

The newspaper press of the city might be considered respecta- 
ble, especially as compared with that of other portions of the re- 
public. In mechanical execution, some three or four of their 
journals many be regarded as approaching neatness and lasle. 
There were seven daily papers published in May, and a new one, 
the '• El Sol Central," has since been established. Their news- 
papers, however, do not contain the same variety, nor are they 
conducted with the ability of ours. Among the first acts of Santa 
Anna, when he resumed the power of the government, was to 
annul the law restricting the liberty of the press ; and although 
nominally free, it was yet held in check by Gomez Farias and 
Anaya. 

El Repuhlicano, is the oldest, and perhaps the most influential 
of the newspapers, though none of them exercise anything like 
the influence over society that papers do in the United States. Its 
politics are not very remarkable for consistency, yet it has sustained 
the war party from the commencement with energy and ability. 
It is supported chiefly by the high functionaries and large propri- 
etors, and its principal ami seems to be to uphold the existing 
slate of things. It is the champion of the present, cares little for 
the past, and less for the future. Instead of rushing into plans 
of reform, and theories of social melioration, it follows closely ihe 
progress of events, and shapes its course accordingly. The sub- 
scription price of El Republicano is ^'15 a year. 



9^1* DONNA van's adventures 

Le Courier Francais, printed in the French language, is perhaps 
the best newspaper in the city. The editor does not indulge much 
in the political controversies, and official squabbles, which eter- 
nally agitate the population, but, devotes his sheet almost exclu-- 
sively to news and Mterature, and has the reputation of giving the 
*' earliest intelligence." 

J5/ Mo/ii^o?" is conducted with more ability and independence 
than any of its contemporaries. The editor is always ready to 
discuss any subject, and he writes with a degree of freedom and 
ease, peculiar to himself — yet he is full of malice and deception, 
and plays with his phrases as a juggler does with his balls. He 
denounces Santa Anna in the most violent and bitter terms. 

Buletin de la Democracia, a new paper by Senor Jimeney,and 
the especial organ of Gomez Farias, is ably conducted, and has 
acquired some character both for wit and keen sarcasm, by its 
frequent collisions with the organ of the peace party. 

El Razonador, the peace paper, presents not only profound and 
unanswerable arguments, but at times infuses in its politics a 
degree of railery and cutting criticism, decidedly amusing. It op- 
poses, and sometimes ridicules, every project or idea advanced by 
the ministry or provisional government, being careful at all times 
not to assume a factious attitude, or render itself liable to the re- 
strictions hanging over it. 

There are other papers, the Diario Gibierno, the Iris Ispanol, 
&.C., but their characters are of little interest or importance. The 
sentences of the editor of the former seem to run out of his pen 
like thread unwinding from a spool — with about as much care, 
and perhaps as little effect on the public. 

Their literature, like the poor and unpitied lazaroni, who 
swarm the streets in countless hordes, is in a state of beggary. 
The inestimable advantages of education have been extended to 
an inconsiderable portion of the population. The great mass 
have been doomed to grope through life in the Cimmerian dark- 
ness of absolute ignorance. Few books are printed — still less 
are read — as the tendency of society is more to sensual than 
intellectual enjoyment. 

A transient visitor to this great metropolis is certain to form an 
exaggerated opinion of its morals, or rather its immorality. The 
deplorable ignorance of the population — the loose opinions that 
prevail — the infidelity which totally disregards all obligations of 
the marriage vow, naturally shock the feelings of those reared 
under happier influences. There seem to be no kindly and eleva- 
ted affections to preserve the young from the contaminations of 
the world into which they are precipitately launched, without a 
home. There is no sanctuary for virtue like a home — and even 
in our own land of happy hearths, how many would be lost in the 



IN MEXICO. 95 

hour of trial, but for the thoughts of wounding and disgracing 
those they have there learned to love. Most of the Mexicans, in 
our sense of the word, have no home. They lodge in hired 
apartments, and spend their days at the cafes, billiard rooms, lot- 
teries, and places of public amusement, yet the criminal calendar 
is not so dark as one would be induced to anticipate from their 
habits of ignorance and indolence. They are much addicted to 
gambling and its kindred vices. We are apt to imagine that they 
have no affinity to us. Such a conclusion is erroneous. 

Man, from his earliest authentic history, and perhaps long be- 
fore, of whatever grade, clime, or color, has been th» instrument 
of passion. His chief pursuit is the greatest amount of happi- 
ness, employing every energy and straining every nerve to reach 
the fountain from whence he is to be blissfully wafted down the 
stream of time, or like the drunkard with his bed, taking a longi- 
tudinal position, and quietly awaiting the revolution of events, 
which is to bring him ease, and luxury, and repose, as the case 
may be. However we may differ in habits and the minor rela- 
tions which serve as teguments to bind up the social compact — 
the object, aim, and end are the same. The Mexicans eat, sleep, 
and talk, much as we do, yet their routine of duties and pleasures 
is quite dissimilar. Indeed, they seem to have no duty but that 
of pleasure, and while the poorer classes seek it in those hells 
which abound to a greater or less extent in every city, the streets 
and roads in the vicinity, at all times, are thronged with the splen- 
did carriages of the wealthy. 

Among the most pleasant drives in the vicinity, are those to the 
village of Tacubaya, the country seat of the Presidents, three 
miles distant, and the Catholic burying ground, two miles beyond 
the city gates. I visited the latter, according to my universal 
practice in entering a strange place, as I consider it a matter of 
some importance to ascertain the extent to which grave yards are 
patronised. I found it to be a most lovely rural spot, though not 
to be compared to Mount Auburn, or Greenwood. Yet there is 
something so striking and peculiar in the construction of a large 
number of Catholic tombs as at once to challenge our admiration. 
Instead of monuments or stones, there is erected over each vault, 
a little chapel, some three or four feet wide, six or eight iil length, 
and five in height, surmounted by a cross. A neatly grated door 
in front, and a little stained-glass window in the rear, enables one 
to see the inscriptions, busts, wreaths of flowers, and other objects 
within, which usually consist of a chair, a prayer-book, a crucifix, 
or small image of the Virgin, wax candles, and other conveniences 
for their forms of devotion and intercession for the departed. 
Emerging suddenly from the noise and bustle of the city of the 
living, and catching a first view of these little funeral temples, 



9§> donnavan's adventuues 

thickly strewed and dotted over the level plait), the thought irre- 
sistibly forces itself upon one, that he is traversing the city of the 
dead. Here are epitaphs in almost every language ; and here, 
side by side, friends and foes, and the natives of far distant climes, 
quietly repose in their last long sleep together. 

As a people, the citizens seem more to be actuated by impulse 
than judgment. There are few conventional forms and enlightened 
restrictions observed in society ; so that, whatever is said or done, 
comes from the heart. In their habits and manners, the French 
forms prevail over all others ; but there is a degree of unaffected 
politeness peculiarly their own. The ladies are seen only in the 
streets in the evening, or on holidays, in carriages. Black is the 
universal color of the dress worn by the Spanish and Mexican 
lady, and while among the higher classes it is remarkably elegant, 
generally adorns a very perfect shape, without any of that assis- 
tance which nature so often receives in our own country. The 
robe is usually of black velvet, tastefully worked and vandyked. 
The mantilla, or I'ehoso, is here seen in its highest state of perfec- 
tion. It is' a kind of veil, of black silk or lace, thrown over the 
head, and leaving the face uncovered, falls gracefully over the 
neck and shoulders, and is confined at the waist by the arms of 
the wearer. Thus clad and standing in her neat, close-fitting, 
satin shppers, with her face at times half-concealed by a gaudily 
pictured paper fan, the scientific gyrations of which convey a Ian. 
guage more eloquent than words, the Mexican lady may be seen 
at almost any hour of the day among the bright flowers of her bal- 
cony, often enjoying the luxury of her sigaretto. Every body 
smokes in the city — man, woman, girl, and boy, almost down to 
the baby just escaped from the cradle. The men belonging to 
the higher classes dress in long Spanish cloaks, laced and tasselled, 
a low crown, broad brimmed white hat when in the streets ; but 
the greater portion of the males I saw were military officers ; who 
at that time almost overrun the city, and who were even proof 
against the appeals made by " El Republicano" to the govern- 
ment, suggesting the propriety of starling them out to fight the 
Yankees. 

Upon the whole, the city of Mexico, with a population of at least 
160,000, presents a motley grouping, with no distinguishing na- 
tional characteristic, save, perhaps, its 10,000 filthy-looking water 
carriers, who supply the city with water from the canal ; and its 
30,000 leperos, wiih that awkward display of pride in rags, which 
prompts them to resist labor as an indignity, while they regard 
alms-taking or light-fingering, as praiseworthy accompiisiiments. 



IN MEXICO. 97 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Major Borland — Public Sentiment in the City — Departure for Puebla — Pass 
at Rio Frio — Temple of the Sun — C% of Puebla — Manufactories — Public 
Buildinscs — Cathedral — Investment of the Citif — Gen. Worth — Disaffection 
amons; tlie Soldiers — Assassinations — Perote — Army under Gen. Scott — Ja- 
lapa — Battle-ground of Ccrro Gordo — JVational Road and Bridge — Col. 
Soivers — Vera Cruz — Castle of San Juan — Passage across the Gulf — 
Island of Lobos — Arrival in the United Slates — Barry and Cunningham. 

During my brief sojourn in the city of Mexico, I had the pleasure 
of meeting with Major Borland, one of the Encarnacion prisoners, 
who was captured with Cassius M. Clay, Major Gaines, and others, 
and who was then on parole, entitled to the privileges of the city. 
His was the first familiar face I had encountered for more than 
seven months, although I had received repeated manifestations of 
kindness among strangers, upon whose generosity I had no claim. 
With Major Borland I had been intimately acquainted in 1839, 
and was employed at that time in his office, when he presided 
over the editorial columns of the "Western World" newspaper, 
at Memphis, Tenn. To him I am indebted for numerous courte- 
sies, and I doubt not that it was through his kind solicitude in my 
behalf, that a safe conveyance was provided for me to Vera Cruz. 
Through American citizens and our Consul, he had acquired much 
information in regard to the condition of parties, and the agitated 
state of feeling then convulsing the political circles in the capital. 

On the day previous to my arrival, the legislature had cast the 
vote of the province for Angel Trias (former Governor of Chihua- 
hua) for President. Santa Anna had arrived from Puebla, and 
been driven from, the city by the mob. The news of Gen. Worth's 
occupation of Puebla, of which he had taken possession two days 
before, had just been received, and the advance of the army under 
Gen. Scott, upon the city, was confidently anticipated ; though no 
measure of public defence had yet been considered, and it was 
asserted that there were only five pieces of artillery there at the 
command of the authorities. The peace party, and I believe a 
majority of the better citizens, were looking forward to the occu- 
pation of the city by the American forces, as their only hope of 
security against the thieving propensities of the Mexican soldiery, 
who infested it, without paying that strict regard to the rights of 
property so desirable to the owners. 

A number of American citizens, who had been engaged in dif- 
ferent business pursuits, together with the American Consul, were 
preparing to leave ; and availing myself of the protection aflbrded 
by the Mexican authorities to this company, as well as the kind 



98 donnavan's adventures 

attentions of Mr. Black, I left with them on the morning of the 
ISth May for Puebla, seventy-six miles east of the capital, on the 
National Road. 

After passing the gates of the city, the road for several miles is 
thrown up over the bed originally occupied by the water of the 
Lake of Tezcuco, and which is now only a flat marsh. For a 
number of years the waters of the lake have been gradually reced- 
ing, and only in the rainy seasons is this marsh inundated. The 
lake itself is ill-sliaped and shallow, containing many islands, and 
covered with myriads of wih' ducks and other water-fowl ; the 
delightful illusion of Chinampas, or floating gardens, having totally 
vanished. 

The road is abroad, smooth, unobstructed thoroughfare, passing 
between parallel canals and beautiful rows of luxuriant Lombardy 
poplars. It was not till we had reached the deep ravine of the 
Cordova Mountain that we passed beyond a view of the towering 
peaks of Popocatapetl, and Iztaccihuatl, on the south of the city, 
whose colossal summits are elevated over 17,000 feet above the 
level of the sea, and are covered with perpetual snow. 

At a distance of thirty-six miles from the capital, we arrived at 
the small walled garrison of Cordova, in the celebrated pass of 
Rio Frio. This pass is perhaps a mile and a half in length, being 
a steep, rugged descent through the mountain of Cordova to the 
garrison, and at the foot of which winds the small stream of Rio 
Frio, or Cold River. The place is inhabited by a suspicious look- 
ing race of beings, whose only occupation is to plunder and assas- 
sinate. It is situated about midway between the cities of Puebla 
and Mexico, and is generally made a point or stopping place for 
the niglit ; but our organs of caution and love of order, prompted 
*us to seek a shelter at a rancho, some five miles this side. 

On the following day we passed through the ancient city of 
Cholula, whose ruins have so long been an object of interest to 
antiquarians. This city, before the conquest, is said to have con- 
tained a population nearly equal to that of Mexico, but is now 
reduced to some 5,000. Here may be seen the remains of the 
temple of the sun, so sacred to the early inhabitants. It is a 
huge pyramid, 1400 feet square, and 203 feet in height. Its 
base would, perhaps, cover Washington square in New York, 
while its summit would rise above the pinnacles of the Univer- 
sity. It is surrounded by many smaller pyramids, which are said 
to have been devoted to the worship of the stars. 

On the evening of the second day after our departure, we 
arrived safely in the city of Puebla, decidedly the most American 
looking town in all Mexico. It contains a population of 80,000, 
with broad elegantly paved streets, and handsome stone buildings. 
The streets are much more cleanly than those of the city of Mex- 



IN MEXICO. 99 

ico, and are built up more densely, presenting none of the ragged 
suburbs which so detract from the beauty of many of the cities in 
that country. There is also a greater degree of industry among 
the inhabitants, who wear better clothes, and a more civilized ap- 
pearance than most of their neighbors, although entitled to less 
confidence. It is the only city in Mexico where cotton fabrics 
are manufactured to any extent ; being located on a branch of 
the Nasca river, affording abundant water privileges. The num- 
ber of churches and convents is almost innumerable, and the 
priests constitute about half the population, all of whom are un- 
scrupulous in their denunciations of Santa Anna, for having taken 
the liberty to appropriate to his own use a large portion of their 
golden church ornaments, on his precipitous retreat from the city. 
Puebla is the capital of the province of the same name, and is a 
purely Spanish town, having been built since the conquest. Among 
its most conspicuous public buildings are the Governor's palace, 
and the great Cathedral, the latter of which is represented to be 
the richest in the world. Whether this be true or not, it would be 
a task to undertake to compute the wealth treasured up within its 
walls. The building, like all the churches there, is of the Gothic 
style. In looking at these splendid edifices, what most astonishes 
an American is the beautiful and substantial masonry by which 
the parts are firmly knit together. The material used in the con- 
struction of this cathedral is different from that of any other — 
being a species of pale blue stone, hewn in heavy blocks, supported 
by huge pillars, which terminate in towers filled with bells. These 
towers are differently shaped, uniformity seeming to be by no means 
essential to good looks. But on entering, one is apt to be in- 
spired with feelings of awe at seeing so much splendor, and so 
many things the purposes of which he is unable to divine, and 
which can be regarded only as the relics of a by-gone age — the 
images of virgins, dressed in rich embroidered satin, with strings 
of pearls and diamonds dangling down about their knees, and 
crowns of gold, inlaid with emeralds, around their brOws. But 
the eye is only arrested by their brilliancy, and confused by the mul- 
tiplicity of these figures ; and we are led to contrast the strange 
encounter of splendor and misery by which we are surrounded — 
the massive marble -altars, surmounted by gold and silver candela- 
bras, occupied by the numerous priesthood, and the niches filled 
with statues of golden saints, while the people stand, kneel, or use 
hired chairs from persons in attendance, and look as if even their 
hopes of heaven were not their own. In the interior of this im- 
mense edifice, is another species of ornament which commands 
attention. It is the profusion of carving in wood, which is to be 
seen about the choir in the greatest perfection. A large figure of 
St. Peter is represented in this style most admirably. Depending 



100 donnavan's advkntures 

from the centre of the great dome, is a gigantic chandelier of solid 
gold and silver, exceeding ten tons in weight, and for merely clean- 
inw which, the -'lamp-lighter" charges the round sum of $4,000. 
A strange tradition, representing the Angels to have assisted in 
the erection of this building, at night, imparts to it a degree of 
veneration, to which, perhaps, no other in the world has ever set 
up a claim, and which has given to the city the name of " Puebla 
de los Angelas.'^ 

On the I4ih of May, six days previous to our arrival, Gen. Worth, 
with about 6,000 men, had taken possession of the city without 
firing a gun, though there had been repeated assassinations by the 
Mexicans after the army had taken up its quarters within the walls, 
and great dissati:!;faction prevailed among the Americans, on ac- 
count of the lenity which was extended to the perpetrators. In 
point of personal appearance and military capacity, Gen. Worth 
is esteemed among the first officers of our army. He is indeed a 
noble looking specimen of the Anglo-Saxon. Bat he failed to re- 
concile his men to a policy subjecting them to severe punishment 
for offences which, committed by their enemies, would have been 
"winked at." There w^ere open and repeated murmurings among 
our soldiery, who were compelled to lie in the open air at night, 
without tents, while they might, by the right of conquest, have 
occupied at least the public buildings of the city. Besides, some 
of them were stabbed, or poisoned, almost daily, with impunity; 
and it became a by-word in the army, that a Mexican was re- 
warded for what an American would be punished. 

In company with a train under Capt. Varney, I left Puebla on 
the 23d of May, for Vera Cruz. At Perote we met the army 
under Gen. Scott, to whom I communicated briefly my own a"d- 
ventures, and gave him a statement in regard to Mr. Cunningham, 
whom 1 had left confined at Valladolid. 

The town of Perote is a small place, some distance from the 
castle of the same name. The sight of this castle brought forci- 
bly to mind the sufferings endured for years by many of our coun- 
trymen, who, like myself, had been within the power of a cruel 
and unfeeling people, and was therefore an object of interest and 
curiosity. I had always been accustomed to associate with my 
ideas of this place, a towering castle on a high hill, but was quite 
disappointed. It is situated upon a broad, sandy plain, several 
miles in extent, covered with the wreck of volcanic matter. The 
castle is of stone, strongly built, and commanding ihe country for 
miles around. The main entrance is tlnough a high wall, which 
is succeeded by a deep ditch, then another wall, then the castle, 
mounting a large number of guns of every size. The enclosure 
is over an acre in extent, and surrounded by two-stoiy buildings, 
the upper rooms of which had been occupied by officers of the 



IN MEXICO. 101 

Mexican army, and the lower ones used as barracks. In the 
lower part of the castle are the prison cells, which look far more 
gloomy and uninviting than did the Valladolid printing office, and 
afforded me the consolation of realizing the fact that I had not 
been an inhabitant of the worst place on the top of the earth — 
for men are apt to reason by comparison. No defence was made 
by the enemy at Perote, notwithstanding the strength of the 
place, and the army under Gen. Scott were enjoying peaceable 
possession of the fortress, and preparing to take up the line of 
march for Puebia, on the 25th of May. 

Between Perote and Jalapa, we passed a splendid hacienda, 
said to belong to Santa Anna, situated a short distance from, but 
within plain view of the road. The estate is a very extensive 
one, delightfully situated, and is said to have been at one time a 
favorite retreat of the dictator. 

The distance from Perote to Jalapa is thirty-three miles. After 
passing over five miles of smooth road, handsomely paved or 
flagged, we reached this picturesque city on the evening of the 
24th. Jalapa is justly celebrated for the beauty of its women, 
and its profusion of fruits and flowers. It is located on the back- 
bone of a ridge, receding to the east and west, and so steep and 
tortuous are the streets, that a carriage can only pass along the 
main road. The houses are built of stone, and are of the most 
tasteful architecture — the only public building of importance is 
the convent of San Francisco, from the tower of which is a splen- 
did view of the city of Vera Cruz and the Gulf of Mexico, sixty- 
six miles distant. It contains 12,000 inhabitants, and is among 
the most pleasant, healthy, and beautiful cities in Mexico. After 
the battle of Cerro Gordo, the authorities received the victorious 
conquerors in a most hospitable manner. 

From the village of Las Viegas, a few miles east from Perote, 
to Vera Cruz, the road descends more than 7,000 feet. Leaving 
Jalapa early in the morning, and after alternately climbing over 
hills and sinking into ravines, we soon came upon the battle-ground 
of Cerro Gordo, situated nearly midway between that city and 
the National Bridge. The scene of this great triumph of Amer- 
ican arms is a sort of double ridge, on the summit of the west- 
ern elevation of which the enemy was fortified. So that to make 
a successful attack, our army had first to rush down a precipice, 
then climb to the brow of a succeeding one, in the very mouth of 
the cannon of the enemy. The history of this fierce and desper- 
ate conflict, and the amusing manner in which Santa Anna de- 
camped, leaving his carriage, preserved meats, and flavored Ha- 
vanas, like Joseph's, at Vittoria, to the spoil of the victors, is well 
known to the country ; yet the unspeakable horrors wiiich sur- 
ro unded the scene even a month after the engagement, can scarcely 
9 



102 DONNA van's adventures 

be conceived. The gorge of the ravine was clogged up with the 
half-naked bones of the dead bodies of the flower of the Mexi- 
can army, over which black clouds of buzzards were hovering, 
eager for the banquet. The enemy had no time to halt to per- 
form the last sad duty for their fallen comrades, and while some 
were left as food for the vulture, others who had been so wounded 
as to be unable to escape, had been taken to the hospitals, where 
their agonizing groans fell upon the ear like low, hollow sounds 
from the charnel-house. The Mexican cannot face danger and 
meet death like the Yankee. He may possess that impetuosity 
which is sufficient only to impel him to a single and desperate 
charge, but he has not the lasting courage to meet the fatigues 
and dangers of a tedious conflict, where men are required to over- 
come natural obstacles, and rush onward while death is raining 
among their ranks. And even after the excitement of the battle, 
when the blood becomes cool, and the energies relaxed — a time 
when the sick and wounded are expected to murmur and com- 
plain — while the American bears his sufferings with a manly for- 
titude, the poor Mexican, in his misery, will be found raving like 
a maniac. 

The Puente Nacional, or National Bridge, across the Antigua 
river, some thirty miles from Vera Cruz, is a massive work of 
stone. This was once a strong fortification, the ruins of which 
may yet be seen on the adjoining hills. About two miles on the 
other side of the bridge we saw the broken diligence of Col. 
Sowers, who was killed with seven of his escort, by a guerrilla 
party, on the day previous to our passing the bridge. Col. Sow- 
ers was bearer of despatches from Washington to Gen. Scott. 

The National road, leading from Vera Cruz to the city of Mex- 
ico, is a thoroughfare which would be creditable to the enterprise 
of any country ; it is broad, in places well graded, and McAdam- 
ized. Passing through Santa Fe, a small village on a stream 
about ten miles from Vera Cruz, we arrived at the latter place 
early in the evening of May 26. The train with which I came 
from Puebla consisted of fifty-six men. 

As no vessel was to leave Vera Cruz for some days, I awaited 
the arrival of the James L. Day, Capt. Wood. The vomito was 
raging among several companies of volunteers. The war-worn 
veterans from Illinois were there, straggling back in squads from 
Cerro Gordo, and they presented a most sad appearance. They 
looked like any thing else than " revellers in the halls of the Mon- 
tezumas," and worn down by sickness and fatigue, were the mere 
shadows of men. Among their trophies, was a splendid brass 
six-pounder, to be sent to the State of Illinois as a present in 
token of the gallantry of her sons. 

Vera Cruz extends more than two miles along the sandy coast 



"7;TTF/- 



IN MEXICO. 103 



of the Gulf. It was once the greatest commercial city on the 
American continent, but is now left far in the rear of many rivals, 
having declined since the revolution with Spain. Its streets are 
well paved, and seemed quite cleanly. The walls of the city are 
constructed of coral rock, and are very thick, with a fort at each 
extremity of the water front, where parapet guns have been placed. 
The city contains a population of 8,000, and is supplied with 
water from cisterns. The Governor's Palace in Vera Cruz is a 
fine public building, but the plaza on which it is situated is the 
most diminutive I saw in any of the towns of Mexico. The city 
presented a sad and ragged picture, a large number of the build- 
ings having been demolished during the bombardment. The dis- 
tance from Vera Cruz to Mexico is 280 miles. 

The castle of San Juan de Ulloa is built on an island of rock, 
more than half a mile from the shore, fronting the city. The 
depth of the water between the island and the shore is many 
fathoms, so that vessels lie there in perfect safety. Boats are con- 
tinually passing and repassing between the island and the shore. 
The castle occupies the entire island, forming an enclosure of 
about twelve acres, almost square. Massive walls of masonry 
compose the outer works, which are so high that inclined planes- 
are constructed within, so as to facilitate the ascent of oxen with' 
their heavy ordnance. There are, within this enclosure, more than 
twenty fortresses, each independent of the other, and elevated' 
above the outer wall. These fortresses are mounted with batter- 
ies, and arranged so as not to interfere with each other when ewi^ 
ployed in the defence of the castle. The basements are occupied! 
as stores, and in time of peace a lively trade is carried on. Thus 
the appearance of a small walled city is imparted to the interior, 
with its paved sidewalks, and stores. Should the enemy gain the 
outer wall, these store rooms can be converted into batteries, by 
letting the guns down from above. Within the walls there are 
cisterns, sufficiently commodious to contain a year's supply of 
water, besides wells for the powder magazines, where that article 
is placed beyond the reach of bombs. The castle is said to have 
cost forty thousand dollars, and when built by Spain, was consid- 
ered impregnable. 

On the morning of June 3d, comfortably situated on the James 
L. Day, we pushed out into the Gulf, leaving the numerous spires 
of Vera Cruz to fade away in the horizon — and on the succeed- 
ing morning, upon going on deck, I found the " Day " anchored 
off the fairy-like island of Lobos, where ^she had been driven in 
the night by a slight gale. This island, about two miles in cir- 
cumference, ten from the shore, and one hundred and forty miles 
from Vera Cruz, is formed entirely of coral, studded with banyan 
trees, and vines of luxuriant growth, covered with flowers of the 



104 DONNAVAPr'S ADVENTURES. 

most mellifluj|us odors. Taking an easterly direction from Lobos, 
the vessel arrived at New Orleans on the 10th of June, where 
after an absence of fourteen months, and after travelling sixteen 
hundred miles through the interior of Mexico, I again found my- 
self /ree, and on my native shores, quite satisfied with what 1 had 
seen of the elephant. 

I here learned that my friend Dr. Barry, with the Zacatecan 
prisoners, had made his escape from Acapulco — that he had 
arrived in New Orleans some two months before me, where by 
letter he communicated to my friends the first information they 
received of our fate. It is presumed that Mr. Cunningham is 
yet where I left him, in Valladolid, amusing himself with the 
Spanish type, and the fair Policarpa : at least I have had no in- 
telligence from him, since the memorable night of my unceremo- 
nious elopement. * 

It may be thought strange that I did not attempt to facilitate 
'his escape, at the time of my own departure. But the reader 
-must recollect that I have already stated the fact of our occupy- 
ing separate rooms, and in such an adventure 1 might myself have 
been detected. Besides, it was a question in mind, whether he 
would be wilhng to resign his dear senorita, for nothing so domes- 
riicates a man as love. 



CHAPTER XV. 

..Mexico — Extentof Territory — Soil — Climate — Maguey Plant — Cochineal 

— Vanilla — Cotton and Sugar — Potatoes — Chili — Timber — Walef — 
I Tobacco — Commerce — Conquest — Revolution — Independence — Influence 

and Wealth of the Priesthood — Santa Anna — Gen. Almonte — Gomez Farias 

— Gen. Herrera — Senor Aleman — Education — The War — Manner of Con- 
ducting it — Destiny. 

The Republic of Mexico is composed of twenty provinces, or 
states — Tamaulipas, New Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora 
and Sinaloa, Durango, Jalisco, Aguescalientes, Zacatecas, San Luis 
Potosi, Q-ueretaro, Guanajuato, Mechoacan, Colima, Mexico, Pue- 
bla, Vera Cruz, Oajaca, Tobasco, and Chiapas. Besides these 
might be included the dependencies of New Mexico and Califor- 
nia. In extent of territory, they may be compared to the states of 
our union, yet they are generally larger ; the whole extending from 
latitude 16 to 33 1-2, and forming a line of coast on the Pacific 
and Gulf of California, 3000 miles in length, bounded on the east 
and north by the Gulf of Mexico, and the Rio Grande. The dis- 
tance from the shores of the Gulf to those, of the Pacific varies 



IN MEXICO. 105 

from 1000 to 1200 miles, including an area of some 1,600,000 
square miles, and a population, according to their own estimate, of 
twelve millions. 

During his involuntary tour through the country, the author 
visited twelve of these provinces — Tamaulipas, New Leon, Coa- 
huila, Zacatecas, Aguescalientes, San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, 
Mechoacan, Queretaro, Mexico, Puebla, and Vera Cruz, situated 
in the very heart, and richest region of the republic, and present- 
ing every variety of surface, soil, and climate. The two great 
chains of the Cordillera mountains, the Sierra Madre and Sierre 
Santa, being a continuation of the Andes of South America, 
diverging from the isthmus, stretch across the country near its 
eastern and western borders, the former gradually diminishing in 
the hills of Coahuila, while the latter continues and connects it- 
self with the Rocky Mountains of Oregon. Between these two 
great ranges, is included what is termed the table lands of Mexi- 
co, at an elevation of from 4000 to 8000 feet above the level of 
the sea. These table lands comprise over three-fifths of the whole 
territory, and although varying in altitude, frequently stretch out 
in broad plains and prairies, unsurpassed in fertility of soil. 

There has been so much said and written in regard to the cli- 
mate of Mexico, that little can be added which will not assume 
the appearance of repetition. Yet those who have been beneath 
its sunny skies and inhaled its balmy atmosphere, receive impres- 
sions differing immaterially in the abstract, and degrees of admi- 
ration ; while few can repress a disposition to record the emotions 
to which any warm and genial clime intuitively gives birth. 

In the construction of their dwellings, such an appendage as a 
chimney, or fire-place, is not thought of, and the very necessary 
and essential domestic duty of cooking is performed out of doors, 
in the yard or streets. In the streets of all the cities, the eye 
meets the daily spectacle of the poorer, houseless and homeless 
part of the population, cooking their scanty fare, on small furna- 
ces erected for the purpose. This, more than anything else, will 
serve to explain the nature of the temperature. 

The climate seems to be influenced more by altitude than lati- 
tude, the three grand divisions of elevation above the level of the 
sea, presenting in all parts of the country about the same degree 
of temperature, and producing the same species of vegetation. 
Between Vera Cruz and Perote, a distance of one hundred miles, 
almost the same variety and gradation of climate will be observed 
as in travelling from the equator to the arctic circle, that is, if one 
have the curiosity to ascend to the snowy peak of Oriziba, near 
the latter place, the summit of which is covered with perpetual 
snow. 

Tierras Calientes includes the low lands on the coast, where 



106 donnavan's adventures 

the climate is excessively hot, and adapted to the production of 
sugar, coffee, indigo, cotton, rice, cocoa, cochineal, oranges, ban- 
anas, olives, and every variety of tropical fruits. To the decom- 
position of the rank vegetable substances of this region is attrib- 
uted the cause of the epidemic called vomito, so fatal to the 
health and life of both natives and visitors. 

Tierras Templadas includes the vast table lands, in which the 
climate seldom varies more than ten degrees during the entire 
round of the seasons, and where one eternal spring reigns unbro- 
ken. In less elevated portions of this region, most of the tropical 
fruits are produced, though it is better adapted to such growths as 
corn, maguey, tobacco, chili, peaches, cherries, melons, strawber- 
ries, &c. Three and four crops of corn are here produced in 
one year, and as a consequence, it is cultivated to a greater extent 
than any other grain, affording the chief article of food for the 
population. Green corn is to be seen as well in December, Janu- 
ary, and February, as in June, July and August. 

Tierras Frias is the still higher region, or mountain slopes, and 
subject to greater variations of temperature. Wheat, rye, oats, 
barley, potatoes, &c., constitute the chief productions of this di-" 
vision, which is usually covered with large oak and pine timber, as 
high as twelve thousand feet above the level of the sea. 

Among the most remarkable productions of Mexico, with which 
we are unfamiliar in the United States, may be mentioned the 
maguey plant and cochineal. The maguey is produced in every 
degree of temperature, and is uninjured by heat, cold, or drought. 
In the best soil, it grows to an enormous size, from twenty to 
thirty feet high, and will often measure around the trunk as much 
as three feet in circumference. It generally arrives to maturityin 
five years, in the tierras calientes, but in the tierras frias it sel- 
dom ripens short of twenty years. After flowering, the top is cut 
off, the soft substance or pulp removed from the interior, so as to 
form a kind of bowl, in which daily accumulates some two gallons 
of mucilaginous acid, during a period of five or six months. Upon 
fermentation, this becomes what is termed by the natives pulque, 
and which, by a process of distillation, is made into whisky. The 
population in many districts, where there is no water, use this 
only, as a beverage. At first, it has a most disgusting taste, and 
still worse smell, but one will soon become accustomed to it. From 
the fibrous substance contained in the bark and leaves of the ma- 
guey, paper, ropes, and even clothing are sometimes manufactured. 
The root when properly prepared, is a most palatable and nutri- 
tious diet ; while the thorns of its leaves serve as pins for the 
ladies' garments. The maguey is regarded as the most profitable 
growth in the country ; and where alone cultivated, on extensive 
haciendas, often yields a yearly income to the proprietors of fifty 
thousand dollars. 



IN MEXICO. 107 

Cochineal is a production of the nopal, a plant of the cactus 
species, which is cultivated in rows, like Indian corn. On every 
leaf of the nopal is pinned a short piece of hollow cane, in which 
a number of the insects are confined, where, as they multiply, the 
young ones crawl out and take up a permanent residence on the 
leaf of their nativity, upon which they feed. At the close of the 
dry season, these insects are brushed from the dead leaves, and 
dried. The cochineal is an insect little larger than a common 
tick, and in early times was supposed to be the seed of the plant 
— it is used in dyeing silks, for which the female is alone valuable, 
and is in some of the provinces of Mexico extensively raised for 
exportation. Vanilla, which is used in the manufacture of choco- 
late, and various luxuries, grows spontaneonsly. 

The table lands of Mexico will produce almost every species of 
vegetation, in a higher state of perfection and greater abundance 
than any other portion of the North American continent ; yet se- 
duced by the great wealth of her mineral resources, the population 
bestow little attention upon agriculture. Cotton and sugar will, 
doubtless, at some future day, form the staple productions of these 
lands, which, with the exception of an occasional sandy desert, 
under proper cultivation, might be made to yield abundant har- 
vests. As yet, neither of these articles have been grown to a suf- 
ficient extent to supply the home demand — the cotton crop 
never exceeding 90,000 bales. The low lands are well adapted 
to the production of rice, and if ever cultivated extensively, will 
perhaps be appropriated to that purpose. 

What is usually called the Irish potatoe, is a native of Mexico, 
and was first found there after the discovery of America. It has 
a prolific yield, but the varieties are not so numerous as in this 
country, where attention has been given to its improvement and 
culture. 

Chili, the small red pepper, grows spontaneously, and is also 
cultivated as an indispensable article of diet. An almost incon- 
ceivable amount of it is consumed by the inhabitants, who devour 
the pods by the dozen, in their primitive state, besides using it 
in nearly every dish they eat. 

In most regions the timber is of a low, shaggy growth, though 
groves of pine, cedar, cypress, and oak, are often to be found grow- 
ing as large as in any country. Such a spectacle as a rail fence 
never meets the eye — the inclosures all being made of hedge, for 
which most of the stunted, thorny growth, and maguey, seems pur- 
posely adapted, the contrast between the long lines of deep tangled 
shrubbery and vines, decked with wild flowers, and the dull, lifeless- 
looking rail fences of the United States, deeply impresses one with 
admiration for the former. 

I was not prepared to find water so plentiful as it really is, from 



108 donnavan's adventures 

the accounts I had previously read of the country ; and in only one 
instance, during our entire journey, did I suffer from thirst. 
This was in a sandy desert in Coahuila, where we found no water 
in three days' travel. Rain seldom falls in Mexico except in July, 
August, and September ; these months are called the rainy season, 
during which time a large amount of water falls in showers, or 
steady rains, of almost daily occurrence. As a consequence, arti- 
ficial irrigation becomes necessary, but there are few districts of any 
considerable extent which could not, by the construction of simple 
hydraulic works, be sufficiently supplied with water, the only ma- 
nure required, to produce at least one hundred and fifty bushels of 
corn to the single acre, annually. 

Tobacco is produced in large quantities, in many of the provinces, 
but this is a governnient monopoly, the leaf, when cured and baled, 
being purchased of the growers at a price fixed by the government. 
It is collected in warehouses in the different districts, and conveyed 
to the capital, where a segar manufactory, sufficiently extensive to 
supply that article to the whole population, is carried on under the 
supervision of the government. 

Notwithstanding the immense wealth of the country, its com- 
merce is limited and diminutive. Its chief exports are confined to 
the precious metals, furnished from some twenty or thirty mining 
districts, and which have produced annually from ^20,000,000 to 
^'25,000,000 in gold and silver. A n inconsiderable trade has been 
carried on in the article of cochineal, indigo, logwood, jalap, and 
vanilla, but including all, the annual exports have never risen above 
^20,000,000, while the imports have never exceeded ^15,000,000. 
Owing to the vascillating character of the government, and the in- 
ordinate thirst for gold, which has always characterized its officers 
and people, and which still exists, an immense contraband trade, 
so fatal to legitimate commerce, is kept up, under every change of 
rulers. Large amounts of bullion from Zacatecas and other mining 
districts, are smuggled out of ports on the Pacific, while various 
articles of merchandise from foreign countries are received with 
unblushing impunity, through the bribery and the infidelity of cus- 
tom-house officers, whose ideas of " tariff" and " free trade " are 
of such convenience as generally to conform to their own interests. 

The precise amount of the population of Mexico is difficult to 
determine. At present the inliabiiants estimate it at from ten to 
twelve millions, though no census has been taken for a number of 
years. The population is made up of almost every color. The 
pale face maintains its aristocracy among all, although the negroes 
are allowed to vote. Few of the male population are to be found 
without the tinge of a fair mulatto, though his blood be pure, which 
is attributed to the influence of the climate and atmosphere. The 
ladies of pure blood are often very nearly as fair as our own. The 



IN MEXICO. 109 

white population is not numerous, and will not amount to over one 
million in the whole country. Descending one degree below the 
white is the Mestizoe, made up of a great variety, white, Indian, 
and negro. Of this class there is over three millions. Next is the 
Zamboo, a progeny of the Indian and negro, which class, with the 
Indians, negroes, and quarteroons, make up the balance of the pop- 
ulation. Of the negro race there is not over one hundred thousand, 
while the Indians, who are often the best citizens of the country, 
number five millions. The difference in the dialects of the people 
in the different provinces, is about the same as that in the shires of 
England — and it is sometimes with difficulty that they can under- 
stand each other. 

It has been no part of the author's object to enter into the early 
history of Mexico. To those who desire such a work, reliable in 
fact and detail, he would recommend that of the great historian, 
Prescott. The early conquest of Mexico by Cortez is a dreamy 
story even of school-boy days. The city of golden idols, hu- 
man hecatombs, a populous empire, and the overthrow of the un- 
fortunate Montezuma, has often risen up to our vision like the 
incredible and enchanted scenes of the Arabian Knights. The 
country was then inhabited by the aborigines, who had so far ad- 
vanced in civilization as to build a greater and more splendid city 
than now occupies its place — the work of their conquerors. In 
1521, when Spain in her turn, enjoyed fier proud supererogative of 
power, the banners of her cross floated in triumph from the heathen 
temples of the natives, who, knowing nothing better or sublimer 
to adore, worshipped the sun, as their more enlightened but heart- 
less invaders did the living God. For three hundred years her 
power thus attained, vfas acknowledged and respected in the colony 
by a people, who, accustomed only to the tyranny of rulers, and 
living in an enervating climate — occupying a country whose 
wealth was beyond computation — were lured into ease and luxury 
— who, with no impetus to stimulate their energies, and mingling 
promiscuously with the aborigines, gradually retrograded in the 
scale of intelligence, till they began more to represent the natives 
they had vanquished, than the conquerors from whom they were 
descended. That there were exceptions — men who thought and 
felt that their country was retrograding, rather than advancing with 
the spirit of the age and times, is doubtless true — but they were 
allied more to the slavery of the church, than to civil liberty. Stim- 
ulated by some motive, for the purity of which his own soul is 
perhaps Responsible, in 1810, the slight murmurs of insurrection 
which were kindling to a flame, burst into open revolt through 
Don Minguel Hidalgo, a Catholic priest of Dolores ; who, at the 
head of a large army, raised under the standard of the " Virgin of 
Guadaloupe," commenced the work which finally resulted in eman- 



110 donnavan's adventures 

cipating his country from the thraldom of Spanish rule. He met 
the fate which all the pioneers in a great cause are almost certain 
to encounter. After a short career, in which his success was bril- 
liant, he was betrayed and beheaded. Other Generals arose in his 
place, among whom may be mentioned Morelos, Guerrero, Victoria, 
and Matamoras, and for a period of nearly three years a fierce and 
sanguinary war pervaded the whole land. But from 1813 to 
1820, peculiar circumstances operated to retard the progress of the 
country towards independence, to lengthen out their struggle with 
Spain, and to produce opposite parties, divisions in sentiment, chi- 
merical or false principled notions, and even the horrors of civil 
war itself. 

The vast territory was, and is even yet, thinly inhabited, by a 
population confined principally to the towns and cities, then divided 
into capitanias, or viceroyalties, having little or no mutual com- 
munication, or means of concerting combined resistance to Spain. 
The people themselves, as a body, being deplorably ignorant, and 
divided into numerous castes, all of whom opposed each other, 
either from feeling or interest, could not unite in a common cause. 
Yet they had all contracted a habit of obeying Spanish princes ; 
for no where had the maxim of passive obedience and the divine 
right of kings been so earnestly inculcated by all the power of the 
priesthood. Second only to the clergy, in means of influence, 
were the Castilians, or European Spaniards, whose power and 
riches were, of course, actively engaged in sustaining the author- 
ity of Spain ; and by engrossing all the important offices, they 
deprived the Creoles, or those of Mexican birth, of any opportunity 
for obtaining 'the required qualifications for public employments. 
Such are the gradual encroachments of tyrafiny, tamely submitted 
to, that were it unrestricted by a mightier power, would steal away 
both body and soul. Besides, Mexico had so long enjoyed a pro- 
found peace, that its inhabitants possessed little more military 
knowledge than did the Aztec race, whom their ancestors had de- 
throned. They were even destitute of arms and nmnitions of war ; 
all these being in the arsenals of the government, or in the hands 
of tlie small body of troops, which it maintained in convenient 
stations upon the sea-coast. Owing to these unfortunate circum- 
stances in their condition, they had the whole structure of inde- 
pendence to begin from its very foundation. Those who are 
familiar with the history of the revolution in Mexico, and in the 
several governments of South America, will readily call to mind 
the untoward events produced by the circumstances here^dverted 
to. Yet in the dark hours of their adversity, the free world did 
not fail to sympathize with them, and numbers of our own country- 
men left their homes and firesides to join them in their struggle 
for independence. In fact, perhaps no other circumstance exer- 



IN MEXICO. 1 1 1 

* 

cised so powerful an influence to prompt the thinking and well 
informed inhabitants of Mexico to long for liberty, as the example 
of the United States of North America. It was truly a most bril- 
liant and alluring spectacle, that of a new people rending asunder 
the strong ties that had bound them to England, and who had 
rendered themselves independent — who, organized as a great re- 
public, enjoyed the most perfect liberty which man can possess in 
the social state — who, under wise and beneficent institutions,had 
prospered and augmented with astonishing rapidity — who, in fine, 
were Americans, more recently settled on the continent than those 
who held the soil in Mexico, and who seemed destined to the same 
high career with their brethren of the North, could they but estab- 
lish their independence of Spain. It was impossible that these 
ideas should not spread with celerity among intelligent Mexicans, 
and that they should not prepare the elements of a wide confla- 
gration. 

After a struggle of eleven years, through the disorganization of 
the mother country itself, Mexico became independent — inde- 
pendent of Spain, yet their emancipation brought with it little else 
than confusion and anarchy. The want of intelligence, of popu- 
lation, of resources, made several provinces mere dead limbs for a 
union, even had one been contemplated ; and a Central govern- 
ment, entitled the " Plan of Iguala," was adopted ; and through 
dissensions among the demagogical leaders of factions, Iturbide, 
by his own intrigues, sustained by the influence of the church, as- 
cended the throne. He had not long worn his " royal robes," 
however, till in his turn he was compelled not only to abdicate his 
place, but was banished from his country, and finally executed on 
his return in 1824. In the same year, what is called the federal 
constitution was adopted, modelled principally from that of the 
United States, excluding the provision which recognizes the right 
of trial by jury, and establishing a provision recognizing the Cath- 
olic as the only religion of the country. It entitles all citizens of 
whatever grade or color, to the right of suff'rage — yet this is a 
mere formality — a mockery to the sovereignty of the mass, where 
the church wields the supreme power. The priesthood of Mexico, 
including the monks and nuns, amounts to about ten thousand 
persons, and the combined wealth of the clergy is estimated at 
$200,000,000. No chapel dedicated to any other faith is to be 
found or suffered to exist in the country, and the Catholic priest- 
hood have unlimited control of both soul and body. Owning more 
than half of the property and wealth of the country, they are of 
course entitled to the exercise of the privilege entailed upon their 
possessions, of giving to the people their manners and morals ; and 
to their examples in the cities, may be justly attributed many of 
the vices which prevail among their ignorant followers. To repeat 



112 donnavan's adventures 

here the profligate indulgences attributed to the city priesthood, 
would be too great an infringement upon all rules of modesty ; 
yet their licentiousness is no more a secret there, than the open 
and unblushing manner in which they visit the degraded haunts 
of gaming houses, cafes, and other resorts of infamy, to sanction 
their corruptions and participate in their amusements. 

It is proper here to remark, that the curas or country clergy, 
sustain quite the opposite character from their city brethren ; and 
besides being pious and devotional in their habits, exercise a kind 
of monitorial supervision over those placed under their pastoral 
charge, and who regard them with a high degree of veneration — 
asking and following their advice in all things. Indeed, the con- 
duct of many of the curas is characterized by a degree of gene- 
rosity and kindness to the poor, worthy to be imitated in our own 
enlightened land. 

It is a great mistake in those who have propagated the idea, 
that the clergy of the city of Mexico court the approach of the 
American army as a means of security to their church treasures. 
If there is anything sacred in the eyes of a Mexican, (a problem 
which has not yet been satisfactorily solved,) be he ranchero, 
brigand, or lepero,jit is his religion and the property of his church. 
Whatever may have been the revolutions — whatever may be — 
the church has been, aud will continue to be, safe from direct 
spoliation. 

We may talk as we please of Mexico, and sticklers entertaining 
circumscribed views, may deplore as they will her loss of inde- 
pendence and nationality — yet what is that independence, what 
that nationality ? The only independence studied is, how to live 
independent of labor, while their nationality is in the hands of^ 
demagogues, entertaining no sympathy for the ignorant mass, and 
who would sell their country, rather than submit to innovations 
recognizing an equality of rights. In looking upon the Mexican race 
as it now exists, knowing nothing of it, one would be tempted to 
ask, by what accident of birth or circumstance they exhibit so gro- 
tesque a character in so serious a drama — at first contending for 
empire and honor, then for independence and nationality ! This 
apparent inconsistency is all explained, however, upon acquiring a 
knowledge of their condition. Their government, as it has ever 
been, since the date of the revolution, is without energy — without 
stability — destitute of moral honesty and means. Party spirit, 
unlike the cool and calculating collisions of sentiment which often 
agitate our own body politic, divides her citizens — discord waves 
her incendiary torch — anarchy and confusion exist among them- 
selves, and their soldiery are left unprovided and uncared for ; as 
the church, being the treasury, can make no disbursements till it 
ascertains which is the stronger and most likely to succeed of the 



IN MEXICO. 113 

factions. The monster, party spirit, so rocked and cherished in 
the cradle of their revolution, is now grown to full manhood, and 
convulses all who are at all susceptible to such influences ; and the 
invasion of their territory, wjiich should brinjsj out all the patriotic 
energies of man, has best convinced the world of their weakness, 
egotism, cowardice, and Iruculence, according to the various 
changes of the scenes. 

Santa Anna has long been the ruling spirit of the land, and 
with all his cruelty and pomposity, possesses a stronger intellect 
and a more perfect knowledge of the nature and disposition of his 
people, than any man in Mexico. His prominent trait of charac- 
ter has seemed to be to create expectations which he never intend- 
ed to fulfil ; but possessing the tact to turn every thing to his ad- 
vantage in the end, has been the secret of his success. He is 
known to be a deceiver ; yet he knows how to deceive. And 
where there is a total lack of confidence in all. the choice among 
rogues generally devolves upon the most accomplished among 
them. 

Gen. Almonte, who was arrested and confined in prison last 
May, in his own country, on a pretended charge of having com- 
promised his position, by making certain disclosures and overtures 
to the United States, is the first, in point of ability, and perhaps 
the only honest public man in Mexico. Almonte has spent much 
of his life in the United Slates, and was long the Minister of 
Mexico to our government at Washington. He is the illicit son 
of Morelos, one of the most distinguished of the revolutionary 
Generals, who fell in the defence of his country. His intellect is 
highly cultivated, and he possesses all the qualities of a polished 
gentleman. 

Gomez Farias, the scenes of whose life and career have been 
chequered with events much after the fashion of Santa Anna, is 
a man of deep thought. The cause of his being superceded by 
Anaya, as Provisional President, was owing to his proposition to 
tax the church property. Had he been sustained in making his 
proposed levies, the Mexican government would have presented a 
more vigorous resistance at Vera Cruz — a more numerous and 
better provided army at Buena Vista — a more effective plan and 
a more vigorous defence at Cerro Gordo — and altogether a far 
more serious resistance than has attended the overthrow of Farias 
and his plans. 

Gen. Herrera, recently a prominent candidate for the Presi- 
dency, is a great favorite of the church party, and in the absence 
of Santa Anna, would doubtless exercise a controlling influence. 
During the canvass, he was represented as the peace candidate, 
but would in the event of his elevation be subject to the control 
of the clergy. 



Il4 donNavan's adventures 

Senor Aleraan is among the most influential men in the country, 
especially among the priesthood, over which he exercises almost 
absolute control. Reports were currently circulated, that Aleman, 
in behalf of the church, had opened a correspondence with the 
European powers, in regard to forming an alliance, by which some 
prince from the other side of the water, was to be elevated to the 
throne of Mexico. Reports and surmises of this character, are 
often the creations of political speculators ; though this was suffi- 
ciently plausible to receive general credence, and seemed to sur- 
prise no one in Mexico. 

Generals Ampudia, Arista, Ricon, Bravo, &-c., are men of cred- 
itable capacities, but possess none of those prominent traits of char- 
acter calculated to distinguish them, with all their opportunities. 

Generals Sallus, Valencia, Requina, and a host of others, con- 
stitute the third class of the " great men " of the republic, and 
who have perhaps never imbibed an idea beyond their individual 
preferment and egotistical self-conceit. 

It should not be supposed that among the private circles of so- 
ciety in Mexico, there are no men of cultivated manners, refined 
taste, and profound intellect. This would be an anomaly indeed, 
in a population of at least 10,000,000. As profound scholars,as 
accomplished gentlemen, and as hospitable hearts, may here be' 
found, as in almost any quarter of the globe ; yet their number is 
comparatively limited, and out of the entire population, perhaps 
not one hundred thousand, or one of every one hundred, can 
read. Here lies the great secret of their misfortunes. And it is 
not an uncommon spectacle in all the cities, to see among the 
multitudes who crowd the streets, confidential scribes, supplied 
with a stool and writing apparatus, whose business it is to indite 
letters to order for the ignorant population, who keep them profit? 
ably employed. There are no schools for the mass ! 

Under such a state of things what apparent folly it seems 4o be, 
among our tenacious politicians of any party, to grieve about the 
dismemberment of a neighboring republic ! However the war 
may terminate, God has doubtless designed it for the accomplish- 
ment of his own high purposes. If any part of those purposes be 
to open a new era upon this China of the new world, it is already 
accomplished in embryo. That philanthropy which would pre- 
scribe the blessings of enlightened liberty to certain limits, deserves 
not the name ; and there is a narrow selfishness far behind the 
age, in the policy which would justify us in the tame enjoyment 
of the freest government on earth, while our nearest neighbors are 
sunk in the very depths of ignorance and vice — not even per- 
mitted to choose a God to worship ! That the war has cost 
treasures, perils, and lives, no one will deny — yet it will produce 
new treasures, happiness, and new life ! 



IN MEXICO. ]15 

The justness or the injustice of the war is a fit subject for pol- 
iticians to quarrel about, and may be decided by those whose 
knowledge of international law will qualify them to render a satis- 
factory verdict ; though the propriety of arguing the question, and 
openly advocating the cause of the enemy during the existence of 
hostilities, may be doubted. 

The expediency of such a course of conduct is certainly ques- 
tionable ; for an enemy who knows nothing of our institutions, 
and who very naturally judges the dispositions of men and 
governments by comparisons at home, arrives at the very plau- 
sible conclusion, that serious dissensions exist ; and but for this 
simple fact, there is little doubt that the war, so much regretted 
by these very men, would now have been terminated. Like most 
• foreigners, they misconceive the nature of our institutions. They 
are not aware that our internal battles consist only of a " war of 
words," and that an American editor or representative may give 
free utterance to his individual views, while reason and the fiat of 
an intelligent constituency are left free to combat and correct them. 
Very different is the state of things in Mexico ; while dissensions 
really exist among her people, nothing is to be heard but vapor, 
boast, aud fume, and to read their manifestos, the natural conclu- 
sion would be that they are the most warlike and unconquerable 
people under heaven. Those who really favor peace, and in truth 
a large portion of the better class would rejoice in the occupation 
of the country by our people — seldom give audible utterance to 
their sentiments — fearing that they might be reasoned with in a 
rather summary manner. Hence, those ignorant of the facts, 
conclude that there is no peace party in Mexico, and that the voice 
of all is for open war. Their papers and proclamations are filled 
with predictions of future victories, to the utter exclusion of present 
defeats, and while they seem, with one accord and one heart, to 
proclaim their own invincible determination never to surrender, 
they seldom face their adversaries, and never without disastrous 
defeat. 

To one who has been over the battle-grounds, traversed the in- 
terior country, suffered* with the many who have suffered, and 
become familial- with all the important circumstances of the 
present war, the manner in which it has been conducted presents 
itself without a single mark of sagacity. It would seem that it 
had been prolonged for no visible object, except to create patron- 
age for partisans ; though for the credit of humanity such a mo- 
tive should not be attributed to its prosecutors. It is much easier 
to prophesy after we have been apprised of events which are to 
transpire, and one can look back upon his errors with far greater 
facility than he can distinguish and avoid them in the future. 
But the policy of sending two small armies into the wild regions 



116 donnavan's adventures 

of New Mexico and the Rio Grande, without a sufficient force to 
retain possession of the country after it was conquered, and for 
the apparent object of affording only an opportunity for brilliant 
exploits, in conquering a half-barbarous race, and then leaving 
them to resume their power and places, is totally inexplicable, 
both before and after its adoption. 

When hostilities first commenced, the true wisdom of legisla- 
tion would have suggested the raising of fifty thousand volunteers, 
who were then offering their services to the government in count- 
less regiments ; all of whom could have been landed at Vera 
Cruz in October, (1846.) Such an army, levying contributions 
on the country for its support, might have marched at once to the 
capital, and subdued the country at half the cost, both in blood 
and treasure. Instead of such a vigorous prosecution of the war 
to a speedy termination, a sort of tampering policy has been pur- 
sued, and our forces have moved with a degree of tardiness, in- 
ducing one to forget that Napoleon had so recently instructed the 
world in the art of warfare. These halting, timid, undetermined 
movements, inspire the enemy with renewed confidence : and 
after a continued conflict of nearly twenty months — sufficient 
time for us to have whipped all Europe — Mexico bids fair to ex- 
hibit one of those horrible catastrophes which stand out boldly 
and distinctly in the annals of human calamity. The agitated con- 
dition of the country since 1810, has bred her public men in the 
school of turmoil, and they have learned to look upon scenes of 
blood with comparative complacency. With their last hopes 
staked, they may not be deterred by any consideration of social 
consequences ; and with an object akin to that of the desperado, 
they would cheerfully blow up the strongholds of our army as 
they enter, and involve in one common ruin the conquerors and 
the conquered. 

There is much speculation in regard to the result of the present 
war, and notwithstanding little doubt hangs over the final issue, 
the proclamation of a guerrilla warfare, giving authority to every 
score of ruffians to concert their own plans, make their own 
attacks, and murder without regard to a'ge, sex, or condition, may 
prolong it to an almost indefinite period, unless a new degree of 
energy shall be infused into the American forces. 

But it requires no extraordinary gift of prophecy to foretell the 
consequences that are inevitably to result — they can be none 
other than the subjugation of the country. Mexico is already by 
the hand of fate blotted out of the list of nations. The lamp 
which lit up the brief hour of her independence is burnt down to 
the socket ; and whether " annexed " to this Union or not, torn 
and divided by intestine commotions, she can never withstand 
the shock which will not only depose her military despots, but 



IN MEXICO. 117 

arouse her people frdm the Rip Van Winkle slumber of their ig- 
norance. He who thinks that a lasting an8 beneficial peace can 
be made with that country, knows little of Mexico, or of her peo- 
ple — he starts in his belief from false premises — and judges of 
a race by the ordinary rules which govern mankind — when it is 
notorious that they have ceased to regard all such rules, and have 
hurled at them utter defiance. 

The growing greatness and energy of the Anglo-Saxon race, 
which is destined speedily to overrun the whole of North Amen- 
ca, will soon occciipy the vast tierre tempalades of Mexico. And 
they will carry liberty with them — not in name, but in fact — 
and the influence of their example will impart a tone of vigor to 
the efforts even of the humblest individual. They will give con- 
fidence to thought, and energy to action. This is by no means a 
visionary speculation, but will be realized, as in the natural course 
of events things assume the shape of realities ; and before ten 
years shall transpire, steam cars, which would be regarded by the 
present population with as much wonder as was the thundering 
artillery of Cortez by the natives, will take the place of their car- 
avans of pack-mules ; and " Yankee clock pedlars," instead of 
guerrilla bands, will throng the mountain paths of the Cordilleras. 
Our people will have seen its resources, and there can be no re- 
straint placed upon their enterprise. 

Under the control of the United States, or the Anglo-Saxon, 
and in the full enjoyment of liberty and security, its extended 
plains, which now repose in peace, would stretch out before the 
eye like gardens magnified immeasurably. The loneliness of the 
vast forest, consecrated for ages to solitude and God, would echo 
the voices of new and more ardent admirers of their never-dying 
foliage. Its cities would swarm with active and industrious New 
England mechanics, the music of whose implements would wake 
the slumbering energies even of the dull and plethoric peon. A 
canal, connecting the two great oceans, would stretch across the 
isthmus of Tehuantepec, concentrating within the Northern hem- 
isphere the commerce of the globe. Through the huge and 
rugged mountains, that rise up like stepping-stones to heaven, 
railroad cars would roll with the lightning's speed, the rich treas- 
ures of the land to the lap of trade. And as the soul of the 
sunny clime became steeped in sublime thought, which the bound- 
less and magnified variety of its natural scenery is fitted to call 
into being — when the heart is entirely imbued with the influence 
of republican institutions, and when the mind of this land, springing 
from its new myriad sources, shall grow up from its present night 
of infancy to manhood, glowing with an ardent perception of the 
unrivalled beauties of the clime, it will burn on, bright and un- 
wasting, forever ! 
10 



APPENDIX. 



All people, whatever their condition, seem to require amusement and 
recreation of some kind, and it is too often the case, in the selection of 
subjects to gratify this natural desire, that the passions, more than the under- 
standing, are appealed to. Especially in our own land of self-government, 
where pleasure and public virtue are commensurate with cultivated taste 
and intelligence, should we seek to combine instruction with amusement, in 
our public entertainments. And few will undertake to dispute the salutary 
influence exercised by a familiarity with meritorious works of art, in 
chastening the understanding and purifying the sentiment. No system of 
education is commendable that does not combine the development of cor- 
rect taste — that does not impart a just conception of the true, the beauti- 
ful and the real, in nature and art, and thereby exalt our perceptions of 
excellence — fit us for the appreciation of the inexhaustible stores of de- 
light and enjoyment that creation in her prodigality has thrown around us. 
Persuaded by this conviction, and that while useful to himself, he might 
be in strumental inpromoting intelligence, and the consequent happiness of 
others, the author of the preceding pages, determined to illustrate such 
events, and delineate such points as have been rendered interesting to 
the public from the exciting circumstances that transpired during the 
recent war with Mexico. Of the causes of that war, now happily termr>- 
nated, its expediency, justice or injustice, he has nothing to remark. 
Which party was the aggressor, the pedants of diplomacy may decide. 
Nor ha-i it been so much his object to portray either the glories or horrors 
of conflict, as to preserve the views of the battle-grounds, delineate the 
geographical resources of the country, its natural scenery, architecture, 
and diversified botany. The lines pursued by the two chief divisions of 
the American Army have been chosen for representation, because the 
reminiscences connected with those regions impart to them a greater de- 
gree of interest than other places, known to us, perhaps, only by their 
almost unpronounceable names, These, however, comprise only about 
two-thirds of the painting; the other views being located on the route 
pursued by the author and his companions, an account of whose captivity 
and adventures is contained in the foregoing pages. 

The natural scenery of Mexico abounds in all the gorgeousness the 
most poetic imagination could conceive ; which, with the memory of the 
118 



APPENDIX. 119 

many strange deeds of renown, markinfi both her ancient and modnrn 
history, have thrown around her borders a charm more dreamy and indis- 
tinct than those which cluster about the classic vales of the olden world. 
Upon both lands has the Creator lavished the indelible imprints of beauty ; 
yet while poetry and historic association have consecrated the memory 
of the one, they have hjft but faint and glimmering traces of light upon 
the other. There is a strange coincidence in the almost simultaneous 
opening to the nations of the earth, the China of the old world and that 
of the new. Until recently our knowledge, not only of the original half- 
civilized proprietors of the soil, but even of the more modern race of Mex- 
ico, has been vague and unsatisfactory. Not till the traditions of the for- 
mer were to be realized by the latter, were our people permitted to tread 
upon a land, whose whole history abounds in the wildest romance of heroic 
achievement. Still paler faces have gone from the north and conquered 
the conquerors of the Montezumas. Almost the same route trod by the 
Spanish cavalier three centuries since, as a superior being, sent from a 
better sphere, has been retraced by the Anglo-Saxon ; and whether it 
ultimately prove for the interest of mankind or not, manifest destiny 
seems suddenly to have brought us in direct collision and more familiar 
communication with a people to whom we have been comparative stran- 
gers. 

These considerations could not fail to suggest the interest with which 
a painting, presenting the bold and beautiful features of a land so little 
known, would be received by the public. The proprietor has often re- 
gretted that he did not commence his sketches before reaching Zacate- 
cas, as the reader will find described in the foregoing work several 
points, the representation of which would have added additional interest 
to the panorama. But in the hopeless capacity of a captive, his thoughts 
were otherwise occupied, until severe suffering had taught him something 
of practical philosophy. Besides, any considerable addition to the already 
extensive painting, would have precluded the possibility of exhibiting the 
whole during one evening. As a work of art, it does not here become 
the proprietor to speak of this production. In that respect, he leaves the 
painting to tell its own story ; yet, lest he should appear ungrateful, he 
is candid to confess that its flattering reception, both by the press and the 
public, has been a source of pride to him. 

As the circumstances under which it was produced may not be wholly 
uninteresting to the reader, the following articles relative to the personal 
history and adventures of the proprietor are subjoined. Immediately on 
his return to the United States, after an absence of over fourteen months, 
seven of which were spent in captivity, the fact was communicated by a 
friend to the editor of the " New Orleans Delta," in which paper of June 
12th, 1847, the following editorial article appeared : 



120 APPENDIX. 

" AN AMERICAN EDITOR SOLD TO THE MEXICANS." 

" That editors are often bought and sold, in these days of accomplish- 
ed political profligacy and intrigue, few persons possessing common 
sagacity, will undertake to dispute. The price we presume varies in 
accordance with the influence and position of the particular journal sought 
to be subsidized — from " fifty-two thousand " down to a " mess of pot- 
ash." Uninitiated as we of course are, in the Free Masonry of politics, 
the process of negotiation is Greek to us. We feel inclined however to 
accord to the age sufficient refinement to impart to such transactions 
an air above the dull commerce of mere business To say, " what's 
your price .'"' would be a barbarous vulgarism, fit only for the Turk who is 
permitted to deal in the transparent flesh of the Circassian maiden, or the 
seiiorita of Mexico. Among the wire pullers of politics there is a nicer 
perception of politeness assuming relationship to the timid shyness which 
characterizes the courtship of our early days ; and we infer that advances 
are made something in this wise : 

" A friend of the Administration, near the expiration of the ' one 
term,' for which its chief came into power, disinterested in his devotions 
to the ' principles of the constitution, ' but who rather than behold the 
republican system subverted, might be induced to accept a foreign mis- 
sion, more to ' carry out the principles of the government,' than in con- 
sideration of the nine thousand dollars outfit, calls at the sanctum of the 
editor of the ' Independent Republican.' After being seated, and the 
usual compliments are exchanged, ^he special, yet disinterested agent of 
the administration, should he see his way clear, will perhaps throw out a 
feeler, before even intimating the slightest disposition to pocket a receipted 
bill for his last year's subscription. ' Really, my dear sir, you must paii- 
don me, but I cannot forego an acknowledgment of the exquisite pleasure 
your Series of Articles entitled the ' Independence of the Press,' have 
afforded me. My admiration for a bold and untrammelled spirit is un- 
bounded, especially when developed in those who wield that great lever 
of liberty, the public press. And your sentiments are so akin to my own — 
so closely do they approximate the great land-marks of our party, that 
were I capable of infusing in my composition a tythe of your perspicuity, 
I should have thought I had written them myself.' 

" The editor replies : — 

"Your favorable consideration of my abilities is certainly gratifying, 
sir, though believe me, when I assure you that one of my chief studies 
has been to establish for my paper, a character independent of either and 
all parties as well as sects." 

" And indeed you have succeeded admirably in your determination, 
for under your control, the Republican has acquired a reputation enjoyed 



APPENDIX. 121 

by few of its cotemporaries. But then in this world of life and business, 
one's influence fails to be properly appreciated in your apparently iso- 
lated position. As the acknowledged organ of a powerful party with the 
most flattering prospect of retaining its ascendancy, your usefulness 
would be unbounded — your productions would be felt, where they are 
now only admired. Besides, such an acquisition to our cause, would 
carry dismay into the ranks of our adversaries, and in consideration of 
the unimportant sacrifice of what you deem an independent position, but 
which would really afford you facility in giving force to your views, the 
patronage of the government would at once be transferred to the ' Re- 
publican,' as the most desirable channel through which the friends of the 
administration might be kept advised of the conduct of their public 
servants.' 

" The last argument proves conclusively irresistible, and the editor of 
the "Republican" in examining his conscientiousness, finds that he 
differs with the administration only in non-essentials — in which Jeffer- 
son himself recommends freedom, so he runs up the banner,and his advent 
into the Babylon of party strife is hailed as ' another tremendous dem- 
onstration ' in favor of the principles of the party which has purchased 
him. 

" Being sold editorially and being sold as an editor, are, however, two 
different things. A day or two since, a good looking typo who belonged 
to the 1st Indiana Regiment, related to us the following incident. Some 
time ago, last summer we believe, Capt. Corydon Donnavan, who lately 
arrived in New Orleans, the former editor of the Cincinnati Daily Mes- 
sage, and more recently of the Wabash Standard, published in Lafayette, 
la., was clerking it on a steamer on the Rio Grande. One day, while 
the boat was taking in wood, our editor with a couple of friends went on 
shore for the purpose of shooting armadilloes, or any other Mexican 
game that they might meet with, when but a short distance from the 
boat, they were surrounded and captured by some thirty armp^ Mexicans. 
One of these fellows who could speak a little English, found out that the 
unfortunate editor was a prititer by profession, and he immediately 
secured him as a precious prize. Knowing his val^e, he set a price upon 
his head, and be was finally knocked down •'br the sum of $950.00.' 
Good heavens ! that an editor should be sold so low. The poor fellow 
was marched off" to Valladolid, the capiwl of Michoacan, and sent into a 
Mexican printing office in that love'y city, to set up villainous Mexican 
type. After working some time, he succeeded in making his escape, and 
after the battle of Cerro Gordo, he managed to fall in with the army of 
Gen. Scott, where he was quite at home. Who will have the temerity 
to say after this, that editors are not bought and sold ? " 
10* 



122 APPENDIX. 

The following brief sketch is copied from the " Yankee Blade," it 
having been compiled by the editor, and published in a recent number 
of that paper. ' 

" A new era seems to have arisen in public and popular amusements : 
or at least an extraordinary revival among panoramic paintings has taken 
place. Since the exhibition of Catherwood's great work, some fifteen 
years ago, panoramas had become rather an obsolete idea, until Ban- 
vard produced his beautiful geographical picture of the Mississippi 
river. His complete pecuniary success, no doubt, encouraged others to 
engage in enterprises of a similar nature ; yet few, if any, have realized 
like rewards, in the accumulation of either fame or fortune. No one 
will pretend to dispute that exhibitions of this description tend to refine 
the taste and elevate the intellectual standard — that the study of any 
work of art, possessing merit, has a happy influence — while the extent 
of patronage bestowed on pictures like these, in any community, is the 
best criterion by which to judge of that community's cultivation. There 
is something about their fascinating illusions, calculated at once to please 
the eye and captivate the imagination ; and we should not be at all sur- 
prised did they eventually supercede the present mode of teaching geog- 
raphy, botany, geology, etc., in our public schools. 

Right glad are we to hear of Capt. Donnavan's complete success, 
which is attributable not altogether to the merit of his painting, trans- 
cendently beautiful as it is acknowledged to be, but to the pleasing 
romance and thrilling interest associated with his Adventures in Mexico. 
The public's insatiate appetite for the wild and almost incredible ro- 
mance in which real life so abounds, is to be gratified. The patient, 
plodding life of an artist, who ekes out a dreamy existence in his lone 
garret, is too tame to arrest the attention of a people rocked into man- 
hood and maturity in the cradle of excitement — a people whose earliest 
memories are associated with stirring scenes, and whose own lives are 
often a succession of the adventures so strongly marking the character 
of the American people. To approve, without reserve, this idiosyn- 
cracy of our countrymen, would be negatively to condemn modest and 
patient merit. This ^e do not mean to do ; nor can we, at the same 
time, conceal the gratificntion it affords us to see the indomitable spirit 
of man struggle into succe&^ over the odds of adversity, and what the 
more superstitious often call fa*^ itself. It shows that in the very genius 
of our institutions are garnered up the germs of distinction, which are 
at the mercy of no hereditary entailnvent — that there is no law of the 
land to limit the exercise of the tact or talent vouchsafed to the humblest 
citizen. 

Fifty years ago, what wild enthusiast would have conjectured that the 



APPENDIK. 1 23 

great valley of the Mississippi, besides feeding half a world of men, 
would so soon produce works of art, surpassing in stupendousness of 
design and originality of conception, the efforts of puritan New England ! 
Yet it is even so. The " tables are being turned " upon the Yankees, 
and the very men to whom in other days they sold their wooden clocks 
and nutmegs, now retort upon us, in speculations which prove both in- 
structive and amusing. 

The history of Mr. Banvard's struggles and final triumph, is known 
almost the length and breadth of the land ; and about the time of his 
departure to seek a wider field in an older world, a work similar in de- 
sign, but abounding in more grandeur, and in its execution a wilder 
romance, comes before us as a candidate for popular favor, and is 
already " winning golden opinions from all sorts of people." Like its 
predecessor, it hails from the great West — the broad plains of enter- 
prize and industry beyond the blue ridge, which but yesterday, as it 
were, was the boundary of an unexplored wilderness. We allude, of 
course, to Capt. Donnavan's Great Serial Panorama of Mexico. Like 
the man who has immortalized, in the poetry of painting, the " Great 
Father of Waters," we find that Capt. Donnavan's career abounds in the 
charm of romance, yet is filled with far bolder adventure. He is, 
withal, a practical printer ; and what adventure is too wild or daring for 
that strange, yet intelligent body of craftsmen, whose very duty is 
knowledge, and whose daily task it is to make up a map of the busy 
world ? It is the pride of those connected with the press in our country, 
to feel, that with all the abuses that assail the tripod, the members of the 
craft are often found foremost in honorable enterprize. Capt. Donnavan 
has for several years been associated with the newspaper press of the 
" Queen City," from the capacity of devil down to editor ; and before 
writing his " Adventures in Mexico," which introduced him to a wider 
circle of admirers — a work, too, which has been pronounced by many 
of the leading journals, the best incited by the Mexican war — his rep- 
utation as an editor ranked deservedly high. He is truly and literally 
a " travelled man " — has not only " seen the elephant," but according 
to " tlie book" become somewhat familiar with the entire Mexican 
menagerie. His admirable painting, representing as it does, all the 
points of interest through which himself and companions, ' as well as 
the American army, passed, being now open in our city, and its exhibi- 
tion attracting peculiar interest among the public, a brief reference to 
the personal history of the projector, as well as the circumstances under 
which the work was produced, cannot fail to be welcomed by our read- 
ers. For our information in these particulars, we are indebted chiefly 
to the western press. 



124 APPENDIX. 

[Prom the Cincinnati Daily Commercial, July 7, 1847.] 

CAPT. DONNAVAN'S RETURN. 

A FEW days ago, to the gratification of his many friends, we had the 
pleasure of announcing Capt. Donnavan's safe return to his home and 
family, after an absence of over a year in Mexico. The fatigues of a 
long journey, as well as an interchange of social civilties and affections, 
among friends and relatives, precluded at that time, but the bare state- 
ment of his arrival, without adverting to his many adventures. But the 
first welcome greeting, after his long absence, having transpired, we 
yesterday enjoyed a long conversation with him, relative to his capture, 
perilous journey, sale, and final escape and return to the United States. 

In times past, when Donnavan was an editorial contemporary of ours, 
we took some liberties with each other, and occasionally indulged in a 
good humored joke, frequently at our expense. But these things live 
only in memory, which serves rather to strengthen our regard, than 
alienate our friendship. The Captain has many friends, not only in this 
city, but throughout the entire West, where his ability as a pleasing and 
graphic writer, has become rather proverbial. He is one of those men 
that the " boys and girls run after," and we believe we have never in 
our life known a really bad man to be liked and courted by the juve- 
niles. He reasons that he was a boy once himself, left fatherless and 
destitute at an early age, and can consequently appreciate the courtesies 
of those who smiled upon his adverse pathway, and in all of which 
there is a great deal of truth as well as genuine poetry. 

The Captain is a native Buckeye, that is, having been first introduced 
to this sublunary sphere in our own great state of Ohio. We first knew 
him in 1837, as a practical printer, setting out from this city to seek 
his fortune in the " sunny South." A few years afterwards, at the age 
of twenty-one, we found him, at the head of a leading political paper in 
the neighboring State of Indiana, and shortly afterwards a member of 
its legislature. Again, about the time we commenced our own editorial 
career in the Queen city, we met him as a contemporary, he having 
purchased and assumed the editorial charge of the " Daily Morning 
Message," an independent paper, established by William D. Gallagher, 
one of the present editors of the " Gazette." It was here chat his in- 
dustry and talent soon won him a high reputation as an editor, and in 
which position he continued till a short time previous to the commence- 
ment of hostilities with Mexico. He held the commission of Captain in 
the great " standing army " of Mr. Van Buren, signed, sealed and deliv- 
ered by Gov. Corwin, Commander-in-chief of the Ohio militia, and still 
retains his belligerent title, though always peaceably disposed. 



APPENDIK. 125 

Like mpst, or at least many men, who embark in newspaper specula- 
tions, his labors were rewarded more by empty honors, than by those 
pecuniary realities which are requisite to keep body and soul together ; 
and being naturally impulsive, and stimulated by a desire to accumulate 
fortune more speedily, upon the receipt of the news of the first battles, 
he hastened to the seat of war on the Rio Grande. In the capacity of 
manager of a steamer, engaged in transporting troops, and munitions of 
war, from Brazos to Camargg, he was fust realizing his golden anticipa- 
tions, when an unexpected surprise made himself and two intimate com- 
panions prisoners, at the mercy of a band of guerillas, ten times their 
number, headed by the notorious Canalles. Those who have any knowl- 
edge of the barbarous manner in which American prisoners are dealt 
with in Mexico, can best depict in imagination the perilous situation of 
this small and defenceless party. Thi-ice were they condemned to be 
executed as common felons ; but, as if through some providential inter- 
vention, they were as often spared a death so cruel. From near Ca- 
margo, they were hurried across the Sierra Madre to Zacatecas, without 
any positive knowledge of their fate or destination. Here, through the 
interposition of a number of American and English citizens, they were 
temporarily released : but only, as they soon found, to be recaptured, 
together with those who had so magnanimously endeavored to rescue 
them. The entire party was then conducted by an efficient guard over 
the mountains and deserts, through the cities of San Luis, Guanajuato, 
and Queretaro, to Valladolid, performing the journey chiefly on foot. At 
the latter place, Capt. Donnavan and one of his associates, Mr. Cunning- 
ham, who was also a practical printer, were sold like cattle in the mar- 
ket, and forced into involuntary servitude in a Mexican printing office. 

Of all these wrongs, none of their countrymen could be made cogni- 
zant. No word of condolence from anxious friends could reach them, 
for the " secrets of their prison house were unrevealed." Months passed 
away, and no intelligence came home by which to trace the fate of the 
captives. A year transpired, and Donnavan was considered as good as 
dead ; when, all at once, he turned up suddenly, good-looking as ever, 
but his clothes rather the worse for wear. 

The Captain informs us that he made his escape alone, in the night. 
After a perilous journey of several days, performed on foot, he reached 
the city of Mexico, from which point he reached Vera Cruz without dif- 
ficulty, and sailed for New Orleans about a month ago. In his travels, he 
has acquired much knowledge of the people, and a region of country 
little known to any of us, the publicity of which, taken in connectiou 
with the mcidents of his own captivity and adventures, could not fail to 
be of thrilling interest to the public. In fact, he owes it not only to 



126 APPENDIX. 

himself and friends, but to the world, to publish a detailed narrative of 
" all of which he saw, and part of which he was." 

The following notice of the Panorama is copied from the " Cincinnati 
Gazette," as one among many others equally complimentary, but with 
more of which it is deemed unnecessary to crowd the present work : 

Capt. Donnavan's Panorama. — There are two individuals insepar- 
ably connected with the history of the Mexican campaign, whose names 
bear a. striking resemblance, — Col. Doniphan, and Capt. Donnavan. 
Both have gone through dangers and " hair-breadth escapes," and suf- 
fered all manner of hardships ; both dearly paid for the privilege of 
" seeing the elephant," studying his natural history, and getting the run 
of his tricks ; both have written histories of their adventures ; but there 
is one thing in which our old typo friend, the Captain, leaves the gallant 
Colonel completely in shadow ; he has illustrated the brilliant achieve- 
ments of our army in Mexico, with a magnificent Panorama, and retires 
from the campaign with his colors still flying. 

Besides his own time, the Captain has employed that of three distin- 
guished artists, during the past eight months, on this stupendous produc- 
tion, and he leaves in a few days for the purpose of exhibiting it to the 
people of the eastern cities. Our friends there will find it eminently 
worthy of their attention. To the members of the press and the public, 
we commend Capt. Donnavan as a gentlemanly fellow-craftsman, an 
eccentric natural genius, and altogether an extraordinary man, who has 
displayed much energy and enterprise in getting up this work. He de- 
scribes it in a manner which adds much to the interest of its exhibition. 
The painting has been very successful here, and, as its accuracy "is 
vouched by many officers and privates who have returned from service 
in the lines of both Gen. Taylor and Gen. Scott, we anticipate like suc- 
cess for it wherever it may be exhibited. 

LETTER FROM MR. CUNNINGHAM. 

The following extracts from a letter received by the author last 
spring, from his old companion, may not prove unacceptable to the 
reader. Surely the " perquisites " to which he alludes, a sum amount- 
ing to about $150,000, could not have been totally so to him. 

New Orleans, March 18, 1848. 
Capt. Donnavan : You will doubtless be even more suprised on the 
receipt of this than was I after perusing your " Adventures," a copy of 
which I obtained here the day after my arrival. " McGreggor 's on his 



APPENDIX. 127 

native heath again." But first permit me to congratulate you on your 
propitious return to family and friends. Not only do I voluntarily hasten 
to excuse my conduct, previous to your " unceremonious elopement," 
and to which I observe you have made a significant allusion, but at the 
same time to crave a thousand pardons. Impotence will cling around 
our selfish natures, and the truth is, I found my heart too narrow to 
divide its affections. * * * Various conjectures were indulged, in 
regard to your probable fate after your precipitous flight, and our mutual 
friend Buffam was outrageously indignant; though his exaggerated vocif- 
erations met with little sympathy, and he soon cooled down to his native 
element of " masterly inactivity." 

I have been over a week in New Orleans. With what a thrill of joy 
I tread again my native shores, you and those only who have passed 
through like perils, can appreciate. You are aware that my bondage 
was virtually broken before your departure, but it was soon cemented 
in another and far more agreeable one. You can infer my meaning. 
Mrs. Cunningham and our two little dark-eyed twin daughters are of 
course with me, affording almost as much curiosity as we did on our 
debut in Valladolid. * * * 

I wish to hear from you often, and we both join in hoping to see you 
soon. My residence will be in future near Kosciusko, Miss., fhat is if 
my tropical flowers will bear transplanting in so ungenial a clime. Mrs. 
C. is by no means favorably impressed with the peculiarities of the 
" Americanos " generally, and should she desire to return to her mountain 
home, it will afford me pleasure, much as I love my native land and its 
institutions, to sacrifice them for an affection which, without its perqui- 
sites, combining all the elements of wealth and ease, would make me 
one of the happiest of men. How immeasurably little do we know of 
this world's future ! The very spot where misery and degradation 
seemed ready to spend their fury on our temporal lives, to me has been 
changed to a paradise, and its associations cling around me, consecrated 
to the memory of all 1 care to live for. 

F. R. Cunningham. 



THE PANOEAMA. 



NOTE. — Wherever cities or points represented on the Panorama have been fully de- 
scribed in the body of this work, a recapitulative description has been deemed unneces- 
sary, reference being made to the preceding pages. 



PART FIRST. 

Corpus Christi, an unimportant place with a few buildings, known 
a number of years as the residence of Col. Kinney, a Texan pioneer 
— located on Aranzas Bay, a peninsula of flat shell beach, and from 
which the Army of Occupation took up its line of march for the Rio 
Grande, March 11th, 1846, as represented on the canvass. 

Arago Colorado, a small river, the banks of which are lined with 
chaperal, a dwarfish copse of thorny vegetation, matted with vines 
and prickly pear ; the point Avhere General Taylor's progress was 
first disputed by the enemy. 

Point Isabel, located on an arm of the Gulf called Brazos Santiago, 
a distance of twenty-five miles from the city of Matamoras, and where 
General Taylor took up his encampment on the 24th of March, 1846. 

Battle of Palo Alto, first regular engagement with the Mexicans, 
after the commencement of the war, on the 8th of May, 1846. The 
battle-ground is located on a broad prairie, the grass of which is rep- 
resented on fire, during the evening of the engagement ; one of the 
most grand and imposing views that can possibly be transferred to 
canvass. 

Resaca de la Palm a. This view is represented the night after the 
battle, by moonlight, with the tents, camp-fires, stacks of arms; Gen. 
Taylor, Maj. Bliss, and Capt. May in the foreground. 

The City OF Matamoras. The view is at sunrise, an hour, the 
transcendent gorgeousness of which is so well known in Mexico. The 
city is among the most important in northern Mexico, containing a 
population of about 10,000. Before approaching Fort Brown, located 
on the bank of the Rio Grande, nearly opposite the city, is represented 
a family of the Cacti, the specimens of which grow to a height often 
of thirty feet, remarkable for the beauty of its flowers. 

Reynosa. This is a small place unknown except as a miUtary point. 

The Rio Grande, as seen between Matamoras and Camargo, is a 
stream whose general course is exceedingly straight, but whose sud- 
128 



THE PANORAMA. 129 

• 

den turns and windings are still more remarkable. It is among the. 
longest rivers in the world, from the mouth to the source being over 
1800 miles. For a full description, the reader is referred to the first 
part of the preceding work. 

Camargo, about three miles from the confluence of the San Juan 
with the Rio Grande, and the point near which the author Avas cap- 
tured, containing a population of about 3000. For a description of 
which, see Chapter I. 

Marin, on the road leading to Monterey, celebrated as the former 
residence of Canalles, the great robber chief. The town is located in 
a gorge of the mountains ; painted from a view by Capt. Whiting, 
of the United States Army. 

Bishop's Palace, near the city of Monterey, represented as being 
stormed by the American forces. 

City of Monterey, signifying city of the hills, in the very midst 
of which it is located, and capital of the province of New Leon, has a 
population of 7000 — one of the most beautiful cities in northern 
Mexico, and celebrated as the place where Gen. Santa Anna received 
his military education. In the suburbs of the city, are represented 
the residence and gardens of Gen. Arista, the place where Gen. 
Taylor first consented to become " the candidate of the people," for 
the Presidency of the United States. 

Valley of San Juan, a delightfully cultivated region, as seen from 
the heights in the vicinity of Monterey, looking towards Saltillo, 
where flourish the sugar-cane, cotton, tobacco, the orange, pine-apple, 
palm, plantain, and all the tropical fruits. 

Mexican Hacienda, containing two hundred thousand acres of 
ground, with all its characteristics, habitations, cultivated fields, hedge 
fences, &c. 

City of Saltillo, located on the side hill as the name signifies, form- 
erly the capital of Coahuila, with a population of 12,000, remarkable 
for the beauty of its churches and cathedrals. 

Battle of Buena Vista. Six miles from the city of Saltillo, is 
represented the great battle where Gen. Taylor made the last master- 
stroke in his successful military campaign. With 4,500 men, chiefly 
volunteers, it will be remembered, that he here met and defeated 
about 20,000, the flower of the Mexican army, under Gen. Santa 
Anna. The position of the two armies is represented on the second 
day of the engagement, the 23d of February, 1847. The American 
loss was estimated at 264, that of the enemy 2000. 

City op Zacatecas. A delightful city, occupying a mountain loca- 
tion, and represented as seen from the garden of Andalusia, in the 
vicinity. For a full description, see Chap. VII. 

11 



130 THE PANORAMA. 

A Mexican Ranch, the kind of residence occupied by much the 
larger portion of the population. 

San Luis Potosi. This place is fully described on p. 66. In iis 
vicinity is also represented the manner in which the Mexicans re- 
cruit their army. 

City of Guanajuato. A magnificent view of the entrance to this 
wealthy city is represented, painted from a sketch presented to the 
author by Mr. Kendall, editor of the New Orleans Picayune. A 
detailed description of the place maybe seen on reference to page 68. 

The Table Lands. That the spectator may obtain a far more ade- 
quate idea of the table lands, than can possibly be acquired from 
either books or oral description, extensive plains, both cultivated and 
arid are represented — fields of corn, wheat, aloe and the nopal, and 
broad sterile regions, where owing to the etherial state of the atmos- 
phere, the eye may rest on a perspective more than twice the extent 
it can in any portion of our own country. 

City of Yaqui. This Indian or Aztec city, a description of which 
will be found at length in the preceding pages, is remarkable for its 
antiquity and peculiar architecture. See chap. V. 

City of Queretaro. 'i his city, celebrated for the beauty and 
uniformity of its architecture, and for the indolence of its inhabitants, 
is the place to which the Mexican Congress fled upon the subjuga- 
tion of their capital by the army under General Scott. It is described 
on page 68. 

Valladolid. This city, so famiUar to the author, is represented 
by a moonlight view, having paused after his escape to " make a note 
of it." 

PART SECOND. 

City OF Tampico, near the mouth of the Paunco river — one 
of the most important commercial points of Mexico, and numbering 
a population nearly as large as Vera Cruz. Taken possession of in the 
early history of the war by Mrs. Chase, lady of the American Consul, 
who, by her heroic daring, frightened the entire population into an 
unconditional surrender. 

Island of Lobos, signifying Wolf or Seal Island, a charming spot, 
formed chiefly of coral, covered with Banyan trees, and the place 
where Gen. Scott concentrated his forces previous to the attack on 
Vera Cruz. 

Harbor of Vera Cruz. Approaching the harbor the fleet of Com- 
modore Connor is to be seen, and the landing of Gen. Scott's forces, 
consisting of about 11,000 men, near the city, on the 9th of March, 
1847, in iron surf-boats, constructed for the especial purpose. 



THE Panorama. 



131 



City of Vera Cruz, extending along the beach three miles, with 
the great Castle of San Juan de UUoa. The population of the city 
is estimated at from 8000 to 10,000 — its streets are wide and spa- 
cious, some of them well paved with stone shipped from Quincy, 
Mass. 

National Bridge, usually called " Puente Nacional," built by the 
old Spanish government, and one of the firmest as well as most durable 
structures of the kind in America. The bridge is thrown across the 
Antigua river, a small mountain stream, is nearly half a mile in 
length, constructed of small stones, cemented together, the masonry 
covered with a uniform coat of marble cement, and forming altogether 
the strongest point of defence on the line of the National road, leading 
from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico. 

' Cerro Gordo. The abrupt and imposing heights of Cerro Gordo, 
present a striking contrast to the low lands of the coast, and the spec- 
tator is again introduced to the mountain regions, in which Mexico 
so abounds. The storming of this strong defence by the American 
forces, as represented on the canvass, took place April 18, 1847. 
The American loss on this occasion was estimated at 250, that of the 
enemy, 350, while according to his official reports. Gen. Scott took 
3000 prisoners, forty pieces of artillery, and 5000 stand of small 
arms. 

City of jALAPA,the most delightful place, in fact the El Dorado of 
Mexico, its vicinity abounding in all the fruits pecuKar to the tropics. 
For further description, see p. 101. 

Orizaba. The view of this volcano, called by the ancient popula- 
tion of Mexico, Citlalteptl, (signifying star-mountain,) is, as seen from 
Los Viegas, the highest point on the National road, the mountain or 
volcano being some thirty miles distant. It rises according to the 
measui-ement of Humboldt, 17,368 feet in height, the summit being 
covered with perpetual snow, is visible a great distance after leaving 
Vera Cruz in the Gulf. It is the last point of land to be seen in 
Mexico, after leaving the harbor of Vera Cruz. 

Perote. The town of Perote, Coffre and Castle of the same name 
by moonlight. For description, the reader is referred to p. 100. 

City of Pdebla. The view of this beautiful city, capital of the 
same province, is represented as seen from Fort Loretto, on an emi- 
nence occupied by the American forces during the war. The great 
volcanoes of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl with their summits of per 
ual snow, are to be seen in the distance, towering above the clouds. 
For a further description of the city, see p. 98. 

Pyramid of Cholula. This pyramid is certainly among the 
most interesting antiquities of our continent, surrounded as it was, in 
the days of the Conquest, by the city of the same name, which was 



132 THE PANORAMA. 

the religious capital of the Aztec race, and to which the people made 
pilgrimages as did the Mahomedans to Mecca. 

Rio Frio, a mountain pass and beautiful valley. In the valley of 
Rio Frio, signifying cold river, is located the village of Cordova, cele- 
brated as a favorite resort of robbers and guerrillas. 

Castle of Ciiapultepec. The hill of Chapultepec, signifying grass- 
hopper hill, is located about two miles west of the city of ^Iexico, to a 
view of which the spectator is transported, before entering the city. It is 
naturally well fortified, the bluff being steep and formed of porphyritic 
rock. The Castle, constructed by the young viceroy Galvez, nearly 
two centuries ago, occupies the summit, is 600 feet in length, and 40 
feet high. It has been long occupied as a military academy. It is 
the real sight of the much talked of " Halls of the Montezumas," for 
it was here that Montezuma had his palace. In its vicinity, were 
located the beautiful gardens of the aboriginal emperor, and here we 
may even yet trace the indistinct remnants of the magnificence by 
which the monarch was surrounded. The Castle is represented dur- 
ing the siege or bombardment by the American troops, which took 
place September 12th, 1847. 

City op Mexico, Perhaps no city in the world offers a more 
striking and beautiful panoramic view, than Mexico. Located in lat- 
itude 19^* north, where fires are unknown, except for culinary pur- 
poses, the warm mellowness of a tropical atmosphere, throws over 
the scene a fairy-like delusion ; while the calm, glassy lakes, encir- 
cled by the high ridge of mountains which surrounds the valley, 
groves of the orange and cypress, acqueducts, statuary, and forests 
of church spires, impart a general gorgeousness, unsurpassed in the 
wide world. The view of the city, as seen on the Panorama, was 
taken from the dome of the great cathedral, which occupies the pre- 
cise spot where stood the ancient temple of the sun, and the specta- 
tor is supposed to be looking down upon the scene. The public 
Hospital erected by Cortez, an institution which has continued to 
dispense blessings amid all the wreck and ruin of revolution ; the 
Palacio, or palace of the viceroys ; the Cara de Stado, the residence 
of Cortez ; the Franciscan convent ; the University, founded in 
1551, as well as all the public buildings, the Alamada or park, the 
principal streets, etc., are repx-esented, and on the last side of the 
Grand Plaza, after the spectator enters that magnificent square, is a 
front view of the great cathedral. For a detailed description of 
the city, the reader is referred to the foregoing work — page 89. 

Jg@°" A most pleasing feature of the panorama, is its representation 
of the rich and varied botany of the tropics. Among the numerous 
specimens, introduced at appropriate places, may be mentioned the 
palm, cabbage, cypress, cedar, cocoanut, ebony, banyan, calabash, 
orange and pandanus trees ; the aloe, yucca, cycas, banana, pine- 
apple, cactus, sugar-cane, cotton, tobacco, nopal, cereus, jalap, va- 
nilla, ponisettia, drummond phlox, with their fruits, flowers, etc. 

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